who operated on animals and turned out to be an imposter.
Colombian authorities managed to capture an alleged fake veterinarian on March 5th, who was operating in Cali with certificates and licenses belonging to other people, based on an anonymous complaint made by a citizen who noticed the defendant’s lack of knowledge.
In collaboration with Animal Protection in Cali and the National Police, the Attorney General’s Office conducted a search of a veterinary clinic in the capital of Valle del Cauca. There, they found the alleged fake veterinarian practicing the profession with documents from other individuals recognized by the Colombian Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics Council.
The man, identified as Miguel Ángel Parrado Amado, was charged with the crime of falsification of public documents, although the Attorney General’s Office initiated an investigation to accuse him of animal cruelty, collecting physical evidence and strong proof.
The penal code explains that the person who “mistreats a domestic, tamed, wild vertebrate, or exotic vertebrate animal, causing its death or injuries that severely harm its health or physical integrity, will incur a prison sentence of 12 to 36 months.”
#ATTENTION l A prosecutor from the Special Group for the Fight Against Animal Cruelty, #Gelma, achieved the judicialization of Miguel Ángel Parrado Amado, who allegedly performed veterinary procedures in Cali without a professional degree or the competence to do so. pic.twitter.com/FnFVkI3wWH
— Fiscalía Colombia (@FiscaliaCol) March 10, 2024
Three dogs and two cats were taken into custody following the operation, one of the cats had to be sent to a veterinary clinic due to its severe health condition. According to the Attorney General’s statement, “the initial diagnosis indicated that the animal had been surgically treated improperly on one of its limbs.”
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Animal cruelty in Colombia According to information gathered from the official website of the Environmental Observatory of Colombia, in 2022 the Anticruelty Squadron conducted 5,036 visits to sites where cruelty was allegedly occurring. In those cases, 6,427 animals were involved, and authorities executed 579 confiscations.
The previously mentioned team handles animals suffering from any of the 6 forms of animal cruelty (abandonment, negligence, over-exploitation, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and emotional abuse). To report potential animal cruelty cases, contact the Emergency Line 123 or call the animal cruelty hotline 018000115161.