The cruel murder of a dog named Ear It has generated a great wave of indignation in Brazil and over the weekend it led thousands of citizens to demonstrate in several cities shouting “Justiça por Orelha” (ear, in Portuguese). The dog, a thousand leches with black and brown hair, lived a decade ago on a beach in Florianópolis, in the care of the neighborhood. A widespread formula in Brazil. Three teenagers are investigated for tipping at the beginning of the month; and the parents of two of them and an uncle have been formally accused of coercing a witness.
The case has struck a chord, mobilized politicians and artists, and promoted various demands: animal rights activists demand tougher laws against animal abuse and fear of impunity spreads because the families of the suspects are influential in the city. Meanwhile, those at 16 years old have taken the opportunity to place their demand in the protests for Ear.
Cities in all corners of Brazil hosted demonstrations in which hundreds or even thousands of people marched to demand justice for the dog. Ear with signs like one that said: “It’s not a teenage prank, it’s murder!” Thus, a wave of indignation took to the streets that grew on social networks. The one in São Paulo was probably one of the busiest. Soon, before the heat set in and the tropical summer storms broke out, a crowd marched along the main avenue of the metropolis, Paulista.
“They have to be punished as if they had taken a human life because in this country the penalties for animal abuse are very light,” said Tatyane Campos, 28, accompanied by Chamomilethe dog he adopted a year ago. “They are not considered important lives. I demand justice, as I would if it happened to my mother or my boyfriend.”
Ear He lived on the street, hanging around Praia Brava, a beach in a wealthy area of Florianópolis, in southern Brazil. He was what in Brazil they call a community dog. He did not have an owner, the neighbors fed and cared for him. He had a hut and love. It is a formula that Brazilian authorities promote so that stray dogs are under control. The networks have been filled these days with home videos in which he appeared, browsing at a wedding or hanging around the catch of the day.
After the beating, a neighbor took him to the vet. But, dying from the serious injuries he suffered, especially to his left eye, he died right there.
The cruelty of the beating, the fact that the victim was a community dog and that the adolescents belong to influential families have contributed to this case reaching a far greater impact than any recent animal abuse. Last December, Brazil experienced when several especially cruel events resulted in protest marches against sexist violence, which opened a political debate that persists.
The Civil Police investigates three teenagers after ruling out the participation of a fourth in the attack, as revealed by the program Fantastic, the show of a lifetime, from Globe.
Two of the three suspects were questioned this Monday. His lawyer assured Folha de S.Paulo that the evidence against them “is very fragile.” And he lamented the hostility: “The kids suffer a digital inquisition and the damage is irreparable. Neither they nor their families can leave the house.”
That after the episode, two of the suspects traveled to Disneyland, in Florida, United States, on an end-of-year trip contributed to fueling popular indignation. “Tomorrow these kids are going to be doctors, lawyers, our daughters’ boyfriends. If they have done this at 16 years old, what will become of us?” Campos warned at the march.
Before the beating Eargroups of adolescents deployed threats and violence in the area. The doorman of a building denounced in a neighborhood group the misdeeds of the boys, who also hurled threats or classist insults, such as “salaryman”, who vandalized the beach bars. The same night of the attack, a group other than the suspects beat another dog, Carameland threw it into the sea. He managed to escape and survive.
The enormous wave of solidarity with Ear has given rise to multiple falsehoods. The police have denied that there are videos or witnesses of the deadly attack. He also rules out that the beating was the result of one of those. And the neighbors have denied that the animal was subjected to euthanasia.
The Penal Code punishes mistreatment of dogs and cats with sentences of up to five years that can lead to imprisonment. But that does not affect those under 18, whom Brazilian law always treats as offenders, not as criminals. The Government launched a campaign on networks to remember that they can be sentenced to socio-educational measures, psychological monitoring and what it calls proportional measures. That is, confinement in reintegration centers in the most serious cases, but never in a prison.
Ana Martins, 26, arrived at the demonstration in São Paulo with Hopea dog who was a victim of abuse and whom she adopted seven years ago. He brought her to the protest dressed in a pink ballet costume. “We want the law to be tougher for minor criminals,” he explained and recalled the case of a supermarket guard who also killed a dog. “He lost his job, but he was never arrested. We don’t want it to happen again.” Many of those present wore stickers with the slogan “jail for animal abusers”, a campaign created by police commissioner Bruno Lima, a deputy in Brasilia and with a brother councilor in São Paulo.
“This cannot be resolved with more severe punishments, the change has to go much further. We need more solidarity and humanism,” said Renato Sintra, 56, who came to protest with his partner and the dogs. Gina y Lenin. to the cat Trotsky They left him at home.
As they get closer, calls are multiplying to toughen the laws for all types of crimes in this country where in 2025 there will be 34,000 murders in the country. Public safety is emerging as the star issue of the elections.
Also in Brazil there is the wave of humanization of pets that is sweeping half the planet. The 212 million Brazilians live with 160 million domestic animals, including some 60 million dogs, which feed a colossal industry: hypermarkets open 24 hours a day, medical insurance for animals, manicures and dyeing for dogs… And in cities like São Paulo, with several municipal veterinary hospitals.
Fury over the death of Ear and its circumstances have brought back to the present day the case of Galdino Pataxó, an indigenous man who was burned alive by five young people in Brasilia in 1997. They said they were trying to make a joke. Two were children of judges. Over the years, the five obtained civil servant positions in institutions such as the Senate, the traffic police or the judiciary.
