The Funchal Court has overturned a 20,000 euro fine that had been imposed on the owner of the lynx 'Bores', seized by the GNR in July 2024. The administrative decision was invalidated due to insufficient grounds, specifically the lack of subjective element.
Judge Fernanda Sequeira acquitted the defendant, who had acquired the animal, a desert lynx ('Caracal caracal'), in the Netherlands in 2018 and brought it to Madeira by air. The animal, which had a Russian veterinary passport, was kept on a farm in Caminho de Santo António and died in August 2024 following complications during its return to its owner.
The Legislative Assembly of Madeira approved a motion of regret for the lynx's death, but the administrative offense proceedings continued, culminating in the fine now annulled by the court.