The Watchdog Thailand Foundation has submitted a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture pushing for amendments to the Animal Cruelty Prevention Act with three key points: increasing penalties and official powers, aiming to improve safety for stray dogs and cats.
Today (18 Nov 2025 GMT+7) at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Watchdog Thailand (WDT) attended a meeting and submitted a letter titled "Project to Enhance Enforcement of Animal Cruelty Prevention Laws and Strengthen the Role of Local Administrative Organizations (LAOs) in Sustainable Management and Care of Stray Dogs and Cats" to the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives and his team.
The foundation recognizes that current laws are not strict enough, allowing ongoing cruelty to stray animals. Animal abuse and the growing population of stray dogs and cats in Thailand remain serious issues affecting morality, safety, and public health. Although Thailand enacted the Animal Cruelty Prevention and Animal Welfare Act in 2014, raising protection standards for the first time, enforcement has so far failed to effectively prevent or deter violations.
Mrs. Purita Wathansak, foundation chair and WDT legal head, explained their analysis of the problems and law enforcement, identifying three main limitations:
1. Legal limitations: Penalties do not align with the increased severity of offenses today, and there is a lack of mechanisms empowering local officials to promptly intervene in animal cruelty cases.
2. Local mechanism limitations (LAOs): Most local administrative organizations lack dedicated budgets, animal shelter facilities, and staff knowledgeable in animal welfare, resulting in unstructured stray dog and cat management.
3. Gaps in integration among government, private sector, and community: Efforts remain fragmented without unified guidelines or standards, leading to unsustainable animal protection and stray animal care.