Rio Grande do Norte enacts 'Lei Lucy' protecting community animals

The government of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, has enacted a new state law, officially named 'Lei Lucy,' which expressly prohibits the capture, expulsion, forced displacement, and extermination of community dogs and cats. These animals, even without individual owners, have formed bonds with neighborhoods, squares, or condominiums and receive care from local protectors. The legislation establishes the State Policy for Ethical Management, Population Control, and Protection of Community Animals. The law is named in honor of Lucy, a cat who died after being captured in a condominium in Mossoró, an incident that sparked protests and investigations. The new law forbids public authorities, condominium managers, and private administrators from promoting, authorizing, or tolerating the extermination, abandonment, or arbitrary removal of these animals. Violators face administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions. The law defines 'Community Animal' as a dog or cat with a territorial bond to a public or private collective space, cared for by the community without exclusive ownership. It also defines 'Animal Colony' as a stable group of community animals and 'Community Caregiver' as a volunteer providing basic care. Ethical management is mandated, prohibiting cruelty and indiscriminate removal. Animals established in condominiums and private collective spaces are considered part of the local urban fauna and cannot be expelled or forcibly displaced unless there is a proven risk to public safety or health. Internal condominium rules must respect animal protection principles and cannot impose disproportionate punishments on residents or caregivers. Exceptions for animal removal are strictly limited to essential veterinary care, urgent medical treatment, proven immediate risk to safety, or diagnosed zoonotic diseases requiring isolation, with mandatory return to their original territory afterward. The law aims to ensure animal welfare, public health, environmental balance, and harmonious coexistence between people and community animals.