Minister for Policing Iowane Naivalurua has reaffirmed in Parliament that the Fiji Police Force is actively enforcing the Protection of Animals Act 1954, stressing that animal cruelty is treated as a serious criminal offence.
Responding to a question in Parliament yesterday, Naivalurua said the Act—despite its age—remains fully in force.
“The Protection of Animals Act 1954 is actively enforced by the Fiji Police Force. Animal cruelty and injuring animals are criminal offences and are not treated as minor matters,” he said.
He acknowledged that the legislation is outdated but assured the House that the Government is committed to modernising it.
“I’m aware that this Act dates to 1954, and the coalition government is committed to reviewing all our old legislative laws to ensure they reflect contemporary standards and enforcement realities,” Naivalurua said.
Providing statistics on reported cases of animal injury, the minister said between 2019–2020 tere was 69 cases of animal cruelty, 2021–2022 period had 79 cases, 2023–2024 year had 44 cases and from January–October 2025, 14 cases were reported, 10 of which have been detected
“These figures confirm that cases are being registered, investigated and acted upon,” he told Parliament.
Naivalurua acknowledged public frustration over perceived delays in investigations but stressed that police must follow proper procedures
