Article 377: Letting a fierce or dangerous animal go about
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดควบคุมสัตว์ดุหรือสัตว์ร้าย ปล่อยปละละเลยให้สัตว์นั้นเที่ยวไปโดยลำพัง ในประการที่อาจทำอันตรายแก่บุคคลหรือทรัพย์ ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินหนึ่งเดือน หรือปรับไม่เกินหนึ่งหมื่นบาท หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ หมายเหตุ: [อัตราโทษ แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมโดยมาตรา ๖ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายอาญา (ฉบับที่ ๒๒) พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๘]
English translation
Whoever, having charge of a fierce or dangerous animal, neglectfully allows that animal to go about alone in a manner that may cause harm to a person or to property, shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding one month, or a fine not exceeding ten thousand baht, or both.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
The elements are (1) having charge of an animal, (2) the animal being fierce or dangerous, (3) neglectfully allowing it to go about alone, and (4) doing so in a manner that may cause harm to a person or to property. No harm need actually occur: the section is directed at the risk created, so the words "may cause harm" are satisfied by the potential alone. Liability attaches to whoever has charge of the animal, who is not necessarily the owner. The parallel provision for a person of unsound mind is Section 373, which carries a fine only of up to 5,000 baht; this section is the more serious of the two because it allows imprisonment of up to one month. Where an animal actually injures someone, the heavier offences against life and body apply instead, and civil liability for damage caused by an animal rests on the owner or keeper under Section 433 of the Civil and Commercial Code.
Why this matters in practice
This is the section behind most dog-attack complaints in Thailand where nobody was actually bitten. Because the offence is complete on the risk alone, a complainant need not show injury, only that the animal was fierce or dangerous and was allowed out unattended in circumstances where harm was possible. For a keeper, the defence turns on whether the animal is properly characterised as fierce or dangerous and on whether the release was genuinely neglectful rather than accidental. Note that a conviction here does not resolve compensation: liability for damage caused by an animal is governed separately by Section 433 of the Civil and Commercial Code, which places the burden on the owner or on the person who undertook to keep the animal.
Cited in 6 Supreme Court decisions (1962 to 2024)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 8040/2567 (2024)
- Decision 4395/2557 (2014)
- Décision 11982/2555 (2012)
- Decision 162/2523 (1980)
- Decision 151/2505 (1962)
- Decision 3435/2527 (1984)
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Calculé sur l'ensemble du corpus de 83 652 décisions de la Cour suprême du cabinet, de 1921 à 2026. Le décompte est exhaustif ; la plage d'années indiquée élimine les valeurs aberrantes rares afin de refléter la répartition réelle des citations. Ces chiffres sont calculés par nos soins et ne constituent pas des statistiques officielles de la Cour. Comment nous les comptons et ce que nous avons mesuré
Foire aux questions
What does Section 377 punish?
A person having charge of a fierce or dangerous animal who neglectfully allows it to go about alone in a manner that may cause harm to a person or to property. The penalty is up to one month in prison, or a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
Does someone have to be bitten or injured first?
No. The offence is complete on the risk: the statute asks only whether the animal was allowed out alone in a manner that may cause harm. That is why this section is used for dog complaints where nobody was actually bitten.
Is the owner or the keeper liable?
Whoever has charge of the animal, who is not necessarily the owner. Separately, civil liability for damage caused by an animal falls on the owner or on the person who undertook to keep it, under Section 433 of the Civil and Commercial Code.
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Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 377 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 377. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-377/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 377 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-377/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-377/"><p>Whoever, having charge of a fierce or dangerous animal, neglectfully allows that animal to go about alone in a manner that may cause harm to a person or to property, shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding one month, or a fine not exceeding ten…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 377 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-377/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.