Animal torturers face fine

Animal torturers will face fines and legal action, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Saudi Wildlife Commission.
The warning came in the wake of the recent circulation of several clips showing animals being violently tortured to death, which sparked public outrage and condemnation from the two agencies.
“These acts go against Islamic teachings, the Kingdom’s laws and any sane form of human behavior,” they jointly said on Tuesday.
One clip showed a fox being beaten up and then burned alive as the perpetrators laughed on, while another photo that was recently published showed hundreds of dead lizards piled up inside a truck.
“Animals should be treated with kindness according to our teachings,” said the joint statement. The Agriculture Ministry reiterated that the Kingdom has taken several steps to guarantee animal rights.
“The Cabinet approved a unified Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) animal protection law ... and established a committee to monitor violations a few months ago,” said the ministry.
The ministry also introduced toll free number 800-347-0000 for members of the public to report such incidents.