Gabrielly Palacio, 19, was allegedly seen lighting a firecracker and throwing it towards a cat as she laughed with a pal in a clip that surfaced online – and now faces jail
A Brazilian beauty queen was stripped of her title and now faces jail after a video of her surfaced online allegedly attacking a cat with a firecracker.
The incident is thought to have taken place around New Year in Araucaria, a city in the state of Parana, Brazil. Beauty queen Gabrielly Palacio, 19, was allegedly seen lighting a firecracker and throwing it towards a cat as she laughed with a friend. Following the video’s release, Palacio was stripped of her ‘Miss Araucaria 2024’ title by the pageant organisers.
Animal rights activists have also widely condemned the act and demanded legal action. Under Brazilian law, animal abuse is punishable by up to five years in prison. Local authorities say they are currently investigating the incident, while Palacio has not issued a public statement regarding the allegations.
The clip, which the Mirror has chosen not to share, sparked outrage on social media, with several disgusted viewers slamming Palacio’s actions and calling for accountability. One user wrote: “This is absolutely disgusting. She should face the full consequences of her actions.”
Another said: “It’s sad to see someone in her position behaving like this. A crown comes with responsibility.” One user argued: “I think she needs education on animal rights rather than punishment. People make mistakes.” The case has renewed calls for stricter enforcement of animal protection laws in Brazil.
It comes after the RSPCA claimed young people are at risk of being desensitised to animal cruelty as “terrifyingly high” numbers are now exposed to vile images online. The charity found more than two-fifths of people aged 16 and 17 and almost a third of 18 to 24s have seen avoidable animal suffering online, compared with a fifth of all people.
Reports to its emergency line about animal cruelty on social media were on course to hit a four-year high. Since the start of 2020, there have been 2,000 reports logged. he RSPCA claims there is a “compassion gap” between generations, with those spending the most time online having the least favourable opinions about animal welfare.
Chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “There’s a growing concern the proliferation of abuse content online risks normalising animal harm, pain and suffering. We’re concerned by the high numbers of young people being exposed to such images.”
