Section 381: Cruelty to animals
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดกระทำการทารุณต่อสัตว์ หรือฆ่าสัตว์โดยให้ได้รับทุกขเวทนาอันไม่จำเป็น ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินหนึ่งเดือน หรือปรับไม่เกินหนึ่งหมื่นบาท หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ หมายเหตุ: [อัตราโทษ แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมโดยมาตรา ๖ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายอาญา (ฉบับที่ ๒๒) พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๘]
English translation
Whoever cruelly treats an animal, or kills an animal by causing it unnecessary suffering, 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
This petty offence protects animals from gratuitous suffering. The elements are (1) cruelly treating an animal, or killing an animal, and (2) doing so in a manner that inflicts unnecessary suffering. The key qualifier is that the suffering be unnecessary, so lawful and humane slaughter or handling that avoids needless pain is not caught. This general Penal Code provision predates and operates alongside Thailand's dedicated animal-welfare legislation, which is outside this Code.
Why this matters in practice
Penalty exposure is one month's imprisonment or a fine up to 10,000 baht under this Code, though the same conduct may also engage separate animal-welfare legislation with heavier penalties. The contested element is usually whether the suffering was necessary in the circumstances, for example in slaughter, pest control, or handling of a dangerous animal. Evidence of the method used and its justification is central to both prosecution and defence.
Cited in 1 Supreme Court decisions (2010 to 2010)
Selected citing decisions
- Decision 15274/2553 (2010)
This list is selected automatically, weighted towards judgments that turn on this section rather than ones that merely recite it when passing sentence. It has not yet been reviewed by the firm.
Counted across the firm's corpus of 83,652 Supreme Court decisions, 1921 to 2026. The count is complete; the stated year range trims rare outliers so it describes where the citations actually sit. These figures are computed by us and are not official court statistics. How we count these, and what we measured
Frequently asked questions
Is animal cruelty a crime under the Thai Penal Code?
Yes. Section 381 makes cruel treatment of an animal, or killing it with unnecessary suffering, a petty offence punishable by up to one month in prison or a fine of up to 10,000 baht.
Does killing an animal always breach Section 381?
No. The offence requires unnecessary suffering, so lawful and humane killing that avoids needless pain is not an offence under this section.
Related guides on ThaiLawOnline
Cite this section
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Plain citation
Penal Code, s. 381 (Thailand) -
Academic citation
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 381. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-381/ (accessed 17 August 2026). -
Thai citation
ป.อ. มาตรา 381 -
Permalink
https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-381/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-381/"><p>Whoever cruelly treats an animal, or kills an animal by causing it unnecessary suffering, shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding one month, or a fine not exceeding ten thousand baht, or both.</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 381 (Thailand) — <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-381/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.