A Supreme Court commission will draw up sentencing guidelines for animal abuse crimes that judges can consider when delivering verdicts on such cases.

According to the judicial community on Tuesday, the Sentencing Commission reached the decision during a plenary meeting the previous day.

While the guidelines are expected to recommend punishment for acts leading to the death of animals as well as those that inflict pain on or cause injury to animals, the current law on animal protection punishes those crimes with up to three years and two years in prison, respectively.

The Commission said the decision for new guidelines comes amid increased social interest in animal welfare, which has led to more public concern for animals' right to life.

The number of animal abuse cases, which stood at 69 in 2010, has gradually increased to one-thousand-237 in 2022.

Details of the guidelines are set to be decided in November, before being finalized by March next year.