The Baja California Sur State Congress has approved the so-called “Santos Law,” a new legal measure that adds criminal penalties to the state’s Penal Code for injuries or fatalities resulting from animal attacks. The legislation holds pet owners and caretakers legally accountable when an animal under their supervision harms another person, requiring them to pay damages and face criminal sanctions.
Under the reform, individuals who—through negligence, lack of control or failure to act—allow an animal to inflict harm may now be prosecuted. The offenses range from minor injuries to cases where the victim dies as a result of the attack.
The measure was advanced by the Joint Permanent Committees on Constitutional Affairs and Justice, and Ecology and Environmental Protection, and is based on two separate proposals.
The first initiative, introduced by Deputy Venustiano Pérez Sánchez, adds Article 141 Bis to the chapter on “Injuries” within the section of “Crimes Against Life and Bodily Integrity.”
The second, submitted by Deputy Erick Iván Agúndez Cervantes, incorporates Articles 134 Bis and 139 Bis to the same legal framework.
Both lawmakers argued that existing civil remedies fall short, often failing to ensure timely compensation or meaningful consequences for owners whose animals attack members of the public. They emphasized that an animal can cause anything from a wound that heals within days to a violent attack that results in death—making it necessary to explicitly include these acts in the Penal Code.
By adopting the “Santos Law,” legislators say they aim to strengthen public safety, guarantee justice for victims, and promote responsible pet ownership by making clear that owners, possessors, or anyone who acts as a guardian of an animal will face criminal liability if that animal causes harm or takes a life.
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