A shocking incident of animal cruelty has sparked outrage across Cuba after a video surfaced showing a young boy brutally abusing a cat as a group of adults watch without intervening. The footage, shared by the animal protection group BAC-Habana on Facebook, has highlighted the severe issue of violence against animals in the country and the authorities' lack of effective response.
In the disturbing video, the child is seen holding the cat by its tail while a dog bites its neck. Both the boy and the animal pull the helpless cat, which cries out in pain, unable to escape. Even more unsettling is the voice of a man heard in the recording, casually saying, "The head will come off," with no intent to stop the abuse.
The child laughs, seemingly unaware of the wrongdoing, treating the feline as nothing more than a toy. "Let go," the boy says with utter nonchalance. BAC-Habana accompanied the post with a strong message, condemning not only the act of cruelty itself but also the complacent passivity of the responsible adults.
"We have just received a distressing and painful video. A child is seen savagely mistreating a defenseless kitten, even using a small dog as a tool of violence, while parents and guardians, instead of correcting him, watch the scene without lifting a finger," the organization declared.
Calls for Social Awareness and Justice
The group called for heightened social awareness, warning about the consequences of normalizing such acts at a young age. "Enough is enough! There is no justification when such an atrocious act is tolerated, even less so when adults remain silent and thus endorse it. This is not a mere game: it is animal abuse, it is violence, it is the seed of a society without values if allowed to grow unchecked," the collective stated, demanding justice and the intervention of relevant authorities.
This Monday, BAC-Habana issued a follow-up message identifying the adults associated with the child, naming Francy San Miguel Pérez and Anaily Nani as those responsible for permitting this behavior. The organization announced plans to file a formal national complaint and initiate international legal actions if the responsible parties do not publicly retract by noon on Tuesday, September 30.
"They have until tomorrow, Tuesday, September 30, at 12:00 noon, to publicly retract from this atrocity. If they do not, the international investigation will launch full throttle outside of Cuba, directly to every agency we have contact with. They will not be able to leave the country and will be identified by every organization we work with," the organization warned, also demanding that the cat be immediately handed over to their care.
The Need for Stronger Animal Protection Laws
BAC-Habana has been emphatic that this case cannot go unpunished and represents a turning point in the fight against animal abuse on the island. The post has garnered reactions, comments, and shares, with citizens demanding justice and exemplary punishment for those involved. For many, the most troubling aspect is not only the animal's suffering but the environment in which a child grows up learning that violence is acceptable without receiving correction or guidance.
The incident also reignites the debate about the weakness of animal protection laws in Cuba, where animal cruelty continues to occur daily with little to no real consequences. Despite the approval of Decree-Law 31 on Animal Welfare in 2021, penalties are often minimal or simply not enforced, leaving offenders unpunished.
For BAC-Habana and other animal rights groups, this episode is a stark reminder that condemning violence is not enough: education, legislation, and firm action are needed. "Children must learn respect for life, not indifference to suffering," the organization concluded, reiterating its commitment to pursuing the case to the fullest legal and social extent.
The video, which has gone viral on social media, serves as a stark reminder that animal abuse remains a structural problem in Cuban society, fueled by a lack of awareness, education, and effective penalties. While authorities remain silent, public pressure is mounting, demanding justice for those who cannot defend themselves.
Animal cruelty continues to be a serious issue in Cuba. Recently, in Havana, a dog trainer was caught on video kicking an animal, sparking outrage on social media over the impunity with which these abuses occur. Months earlier, a shocking case shook the capital when a cat was cruelly tortured in the street, prompting even the government to label the act as "abhorrent."
These abuses are not limited to domestic animals. In Matanzas, a video emerged of a man attempting to auction a peregrine falcon, a protected species, in an illegal market, exposing the lack of control and some sectors' complicity in wildlife trafficking. Last month, an extreme cruelty incident surfaced when a woman caught thieves cooking a stolen cat, an event that generated widespread outrage and reignited the discussion over the frailty of animal protection laws on the island.