Joseph
Even if it was against halacha, how does that translate into sending someone to jail.
Stealing is against halacha, but that doesn’t mean I would send them to jail.
If I was on a jury and a 16 year old boy was brought in front of me for shoplifting a chocolate bar, I would not send him to jail
Jail is for the most violent of criminals who can’t be around other people.
I would do what the torah says, make him pay a fine.
People need to be sensitive to animals because we need to be sensitive people, not because they have rights.
Peoples rights should always trump animal rights