Those who kill an animal illegally and on purpose in Bulgaria now face up to one year in prison and a fine ranging between BGN 1000 and BGN 3000.

Those who injure an animal on purpose will face probation and a fine of BGN 3000, according to the draft law on animal cruelty incrimination, which was accepted by the Parliament on first reading on Thursday. The draft law is proposed by the Council of Minsters.

A second draft law on the same subject, proposed by the oppositional Bulgarian Socialist Party MP Maya Manolova, was also accepted. According to her draft law, severe cruelty towards animals will be punish with two years behind bars and a fine between BGN 1000 and BGN 6000. Manolova has proposed that murdering an animal should bring about up to two years in prison and a fine between BGN 2000 and BGN 10000.

Bulgarian animal rights activists have repeatedly staged protests over the past few years hoping to accelerate changes in the Penal Code and harsher penalties for perpetrators of animal cruelty, most notably after an unknown perpetrator cut the four paws of a dog in the town of Dryanovo in 2010.

Bulgaria's Agriculture Minister, Miroslav Naydenov, has proposed on previous occasions 1 to 5 years behind bars for individuals convicted of committing acts of cruelty against animals. However, the harsher penalties are still to be implemented in the Penal Code.