A bill that prohibits animal cruelty has made its way through the Senate. Senate Bill 46 defines cruelty as intentionally, willfully, and maliciously inflicting physical abuse on an animal. Violation is a class six felony. The bill contains several exemptions, including livestock production, hunting, and pest control. Humane society officers will still have to seek judicial authorization before seizing animals. Senator Shantel Krebs spoke in favor of the bill.
“South Dakota laws over how many years have successfully worked well in dealing with cases of inhumane treatment of both livestock and non livestock,” Krebs says. “But on the national scene South Dakota was the only state in the nation without a felony penalty for these severe acts of animal cruelty. So in response we had full support of our ag industry to create the class six felony, I should say up to, the judge can issue up to a class six felony, again on specifically acts of cruelty, intentional, willful, and malicious, and that must include all three.”
Senators unanimously passed the bill. It now heads to a House committee for further debate.