Sansão case

Sansão case (Portuguese: caso Sansão) refers to the torture and attempted murder of a pit bull dog whose two hind legs were dismembered.^[1] It occurred in Brazil on July 6, 2020,^[2] and led the National Congress of the country to increase the penalty for animal cruelty.^[3][4]

Sansão case
Location	Confins, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Date	July 6, 2020
Target	Sansão
Attack type	Attempted murder, paws disappointment and animal cruelty
Weapons	A sickle
Injured	1 (Sansão)
Victims	Sansão, a pitbull
Perpetrators	2 suspects (unidentified)
No. of participants	2

Incident

The two suspects tortured the pit bull with a sickle. The dog, who was 2 years old at the time, had his two hind legs severed. It happened in the late afternoon of July 6.^[1] Both suspects were arrested and later held responsible for the crime of animal abuse.^[2]

Reactions

The case led to an increase in the penalty for those who commit animal abuse against dogs and cats, from three months to one year to two to five years.^[5][6] In September 2020, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed into law a bill that imposes prison sentences for acts of abuse, mistreatment or violence against dogs and cats.^[7] The legislation, known as the Lei Sansão (Sansão Law), also includes fines and bans on pet ownership for offenders. The change was intended to ensure that animal abuse is no longer considered a minor offence, allowing law enforcement to respond more quickly to incidents. The bill was authored by Congressman Fred Costa and passed in the Senate on September 9, 2021.^[8]

Gallery

• 
  Jair and Michelle Bolsonaro with Sansão
• 
  Sansão lying on the floor
• 
  Sansão arriving at the ceremony in which Jair Bolsonaro signed Sansão Law
• 
  Shirt with the inscription Lei Sansão
• 
  Sansão yawning

See also

• List of individual dogs
• Resistência (dog)
• Manchinha case