By KEILE CAMPBELL 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

A MOTIONLESS dog, its body swarmed by flies, lay chained on a property off Soldier Road. The animal later died — but its suffering triggered what advocates say was a major moment for animal welfare in The Bahamas.

Two people have been convicted of animal cruelty in what advocates say is the first successful prosecution under the Animal Protection and Control Act.

Nichols and Lockhart pleaded guilty in Magistrate’s Court. They were each fined $1,500 or face four months in prison. Both were also banned from owning animals for five years — with a five-month custodial sentence looming if they violate that order.

The Tribune understands the fines were paid in full by February 4, concluding the court process.

The case was sparked by a formal complaint from Stephanie Kesten, animal traffic coordinator at BAARK (Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness), who visited the property after receiving reports of severe neglect.

There, she discovered the dying dog and others confined to cages. Authorities later removed the surviving animals.

The case was investigated and prosecuted with support from police and animal control officers. Assistant Superintendent K Bauld led the prosecution effort.

Animal rights advocates have described the conviction as a major step forward

in holding people accountable for mistreating animals.

Ms Kesten, who filed the original complaint, said the case represents more than just legal progress.

“We need to continue with our progress in animal cruelty prosecutions, absolutely — because the way you treat your animals is how you treat people, as far as I’m concerned,” she said. “If you can be cruel to an animal, you can certainly be cruel to people.”

Still, advocates say enforcement tools remain too limited. Calls are growing for the government to empower wardens with authority to issue on-the-spot citations and strengthen routine compliance checks.

“We still don’t have citations,” Ms Kesten said. “We want wardens to start fining people for animal cruelty.”

Despite existing legislation, she said, more must be done on the ground to prevent cruelty before it reaches deadly extremes.