The Manchinha case, also known as the Carrefour dog case, refers to the killing of a stray dog named Manchinha by a Carrefour employee on 28 November 2018 in Osasco, Greater São Paulo, Brazil, near a store where the dog had been living. The case generated national and international backlash, and led to the Brazilian Congress passing a law that increased the penalty for the mistreatment of animals.

Manchinha Case
LocationCarrefour supermarket, Osasco, São Paulo, Brazil
Date28 November 2018
Attack type
cruelty to animals
Weaponsrat poison and aluminum bar
VictimsManchinha, street dog
DefendersMarco Antonio de Souza[1]

Manchinha edit

An abandoned female of no defined breed, the dog was named Manchinha by an employee at the Carrefour hypermarket in Osasco, where she lived in the parking lot and was given food and water by customers and employees.[2][3][4]

Background and crime edit

External videos
  video of the dog's death

In November 2018, the owners of the Carrefour store were notified of an upcoming visit from store headquarters. An employee responsible for site security was ordered to remove the dog from the parking lot.[5] The employee reportedly carried out the order by giving Manchinha mortadella containing rat poison, then beating her with an aluminum bar. Employees of the Zoonosis center in the city rescued the dog, but she died; the attending veterinarian concluded that the cause of death was blood loss. The store at first said that the dog had been run over, but later admitted the employee had killed her.[2][3] It was three days before the case was reported to the authorities.[6]

Response edit

The case generated national and international condemnation.[7][8] Social media posts generated a wave of protests against Carrefour chain stores throughout Brazil. Approximately 600,000 comments about the event were made on Carrefour's social media platforms in December 2019, most of which were unfavorable.[9] Several celebrities, including Tatá Werneck and Luciano Huck, made statements reacting to the case. Luisa Mell, an actor and animal rights activist, spoke out against Carrefour.[10] Several store employees were called to testify in an investigation by the São Paulo Civil Police into the dog's death.[10]

The security guard responsible was identified and removed from his position.[11][12] He confessed to having killed the dog, declaring himself repentant.[13][14][15] The investigation concluded on 18 December 2018; he was found guilty of the crime of abuse and mistreatment of animals, but was not immediately arrested.[16]

Legacy edit

In February 2019, the case served as justification for the proposal of stricter laws on the crime of animal abuse.[17] The Brazilian National Congress approved PL 1,095/2019, increasing the maximum penalties for those responsible for mistreatment of animals from two to five years and a maximum fine of one thousand minimum wages.[17][18][19] In September 2020, President Jair Bolsonaro signed the bill into law in September 2020.[20][19] Manchinha has become a symbol of animal rights and of brutality in security enforcement in Brazil.[21]

After an agreement with the Public Ministry, in March 2019 Carrefour and security were fined BRL 1 million,[9] and BRL 1 million was transferred to an animal protection fund set up by the municipality of Osasco.[9] Carrefour also conducted a census to identify animals living on company property and transport them to shelters.[9]

Manchinha received several tributes after her death.[21] In November 2021, a statue was erected in her memory at a pet park in Osasco.[22]

References edit

  1. ^ "Polícia de SP conclui inquérito e culpa segurança do Carrefour por agressão e morte de cachorro". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 18 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Cachorro abandonado é envenenado e espancado por funcionário de Carrefour em Osasco, dizem ativistas". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 4 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Hemorragia matou cachorro do Carrefour de Osasco, diz à polícia veterinária que tentou salvá-lo". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 6 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  4. ^ Conteúdo, Estadão (5 December 2018). "Vídeo mostra funcionário agredindo cachorro em supermercado". JC (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Cachorro agredido no Carrefour: entenda o caso e o que se sabe até agora". Capricho (in Brazilian Portuguese). 4 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Segurança do Carrefour confirma agressão a cachorro e diz estar arrependido em depoimento". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  7. ^ Congostrina, Alfonso L. (16 January 2019). "La Urbana concluye que el disparo a la perra Sota fue una "intervención proporcional"". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Polémique au Brésil après la mort d'un chien tué par le vigile d'un Carrefour". HuffPost (in French). 6 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d Kleber, Tomaz (4 November 2019). "Um ano após caso Manchinha, 'censo' do Carrefour identifica 300 animais abandonados em supermercados no país". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  10. ^ a b estadaoconteudo. "Vídeo mostra funcionário agredindo cãozinho com barra metálica no Carrefour". Terra (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Vídeos mostram segurança, barra de metal e cão ferido; MP abre inquérito". noticias.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Cachorro morto era chamado de Manchinha; segurança do Carrefour foi intimado". OitoMeia. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  13. ^ Aun, Heloisa (7 December 2018). "Segurança confessa agressões a cachorro morto no Carrefour". Catraca Livre (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Segurança do Carrefour que aparece em vídeo com barra espantando cão que morreu alega que não quis ferir animal". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 8 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  15. ^ "Segurança acusado de matar cadela no Carrefour em Osasco confessa agressões". Extra Online (in Brazilian Portuguese). 8 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Polícia de SP conclui inquérito e culpa segurança do Carrefour por agressão e morte de cachorro". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 18 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Cão Manchinha inspira projeto de lei O Antagonista". O Antagonista (in Brazilian Portuguese). 9 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Senado aprova pena maior para quem maltratar animais; multa será de até mil salários mínimos". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 11 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  19. ^ a b PODER360 (20 November 2020). "Lojas do Carrefour já foram palco de outros casos de violência e racismo". Poder360 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 April 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "Maus-tratos contra cães e gatos agora podem dar até 5 anos de prisão; saiba o que muda - Política". Diário do Nordeste (in Brazilian Portuguese). 29 September 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  21. ^ a b "Cervejas terão ilustração de cadela morta no Carrefour; renda irá para ONGs". Jornal de Brasília (in Brazilian Portuguese). Agência Estado. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  22. ^ "Cachorro Manchinha, morto por segurança do Carrefour em 2018, ganha monumento em Osasco, na Grande SP". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 28 November 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2023.