Document type : news published by VetCommunity
Preview: Mountain hares will be reclassified as endangered animals in 2021, which will protect the species from being killed, injured or taken.
Finn's Law also comes into force to protect service animals
The Scottish government has brought new measures into force which increase the maximum available penalties for the most serious animal welfare and wildlife offences.
The Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020 - which came into force on 30 November - increases the maximum penalty to five years imprisonment and unlimited fines for the worst cases of animal welfare and wildlife crime.
Courts will be able to use these tougher penalties when convicting those involved in animal fighting, causing unnecessary suffering to animals or committing a wide range of serious offences against wildlife.
The Scottish government has also introduced Finn's Law, which came into force in England last year and is named after a police dog who sustained serious injuries while protecting his handler in 2016.
