| Short Title: | Abandonment of Animals Act 1960 |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to prohibit the abandonment of animals; and for purposes connected therewith. |
| Year: | 1960 |
| Citation: | 8 & 9 Eliz. 2. c. 43 |
| Territorial Extent: | Great Britain (England and Wales, Scotland) |
| Royal Assent: | 2 June 1960 |
| Repeal Date: | 8 November 2006 |
| Status: | repealed |
| Original Text: | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/8-9/43/enacted |
| Use New Uk-Leg: | yes |
The Abandonment of Animals Act 1960 (8 & 9 Eliz. 2. c. 43) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It received royal assent on 2 June 1960.
The Act made it a criminal offence to abandon an animal, or permit it to be abandoned, "in circumstances likely to cause the animal any unnecessary suffering". The offence was treated as "cruelty" within the terms of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 section 1 subsection 1, which as amended currently provides for a fine or up to six months imprisonment on conviction.
The Act extends to England and Wales, and Scotland, but not to Northern Ireland.
The Act was repealed in England and Wales by the Animal Welfare Act 2006,[1] and in Scotland by the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.