Target: José Luis Cervantes Martínez, Attorney General of the State of Mexico (Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México)
Goal: Ensure the full and thorough criminal investigation and prosecution of those allegedly responsible for the killing of nearly 11,000 street dogs during a municipal administration, in potential violation of state animal protection laws.
A viral video has ignited national outrage after a former mayor — now serving as a senator — publicly admitted that nearly 11,000 street dogs were killed during her administration in a municipality near Mexico City, with official records placing the figure at 10,962. The admission was corroborated by the senator herself at a press conference, where she defended the killings as lawful and tied to public safety concerns. However, state environmental officials have alleged that there were no clinical diagnoses conducted before the killings, that personnel lacked proper training, and that the methods used may have violated humane treatment standards. The state Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into whether the killings violated state penal code provisions regarding animal abuse — offenses potentially punishable by up to six years in prison.
Animal rights activists have raised serious questions about the legality and transparency of the killings, noting that the law in the State of Mexico permits euthanasia of domestic animals only in cases of incapacitating illness or old age, and only with veterinary certification and approval. The absence of documented diagnoses for nearly 11,000 individual animals — averaging five to six alleged killings per day over five years — raises profound concerns about whether these deaths constituted lawful euthanasia or systematic illegal killing. A notebook containing names, numbers and sums of money has reportedly become central to widening investigations.
The state Attorney General’s Office must conduct a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation and pursue criminal charges wherever the evidence supports them. Sign this petition to demand full accountability and to ensure that the alleged mass killing of nearly 11,000 animals does not go without serious legal consequence.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear AG José Luis Cervantes Martínez,
We are writing to urge your office to conduct a thorough and independent criminal investigation into the alleged killing of nearly 11,000 street dogs during the administration of the former mayor of Tecámac, and to pursue criminal charges wherever the evidence supports them. State environmental officials have reportedly alleged that proper clinical diagnoses were not conducted before the killings and that the methods used may have violated humane treatment standards — raising serious questions about whether these deaths constituted lawful euthanasia or systematic illegal killing in violation of the state Penal Code’s animal abuse provisions. A public figure admitting to the killing of nearly 11,000 animals at a press conference, while state officials dispute the legality of the methods used, demands the most rigorous possible investigation.
The law in the State of Mexico permits euthanasia of domestic animals only under specific, veterinarian-supervised conditions. If those conditions were allegedly not met — across nearly 11,000 individual killings — then each potentially unlawful death represents a separate act deserving of criminal scrutiny. We urge your office to pursue this investigation without political interference and to follow the evidence wherever it leads, including all individuals and entities who may have participated in or facilitated these alleged acts.
We respectfully but firmly demand that your office pursue this investigation with full transparency and prosecutorial seriousness, and that criminal charges be filed where the evidence warrants. Nearly 11,000 animals allegedly had no voice in the decisions made about their lives — it is now the justice system’s responsibility to speak for them.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Alex Ranaldi
