As per documents of the workgroup of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, working on the amendments to the Criminal Law, the measures for animal protection will be enhanced: abandonment of animals will become a criminal offense with an expected prison sentence of up to one year and prison sentences for killing or torturing of animals will also be increased. Higher penalties for animal abuse and prison sentence for abandonment is supported by a large number of citizens. That can be seen by a high number of signatures for a petition „Abandonment of Animals is a Criminal Offense”, but also according to the survey in which a high 88% of people declared they agree that a prison sentence is a must for abandonment of a dog. The Association Animal Friends Croatia expressed satisfaction that the Ministry accepted the proposal for which they started the initiative and petition in 2021.