In a statement, the municipality added that 548 animals were rescued in 2025 alone.

The vehicle, which operates exclusively for animal protection and rescue in the municipality, is available 24 hours a day.

It intervenes in the rescue of injured or sick animals on public roads, working in conjunction with the Braga Water, Effluent and Waste Company (AGERE), the Official Animal Collection Centre, the municipal veterinary doctor and veterinary hospitals.

The deputy mayor of Braga, Altino Bessa, highlights not only the technical complexity of these operations, but also “the human and community impact of a service that translates, on the ground, the political choice to place animal welfare at the centre of municipal public policies”.

“The intervention of the Braga Fire Brigade has proven to be absolutely decisive. This project, as the figures indicate, has been fundamental to the animal welfare strategy outlined by the local authority, enabling and ensuring that this type of operation is carried out successfully,” he says.

Altino Bessa points out that, over the last five years, the council has invested more than two million euros in human and material resources for that battalion, providing it with better conditions to carry out its work.

“We have insisted on a public policy based on prevention, operational capacity and ethical responsibility. The animal rescue vehicle is now a concrete example of how local political decisions can produce tangible results, reinforcing safety, public health and community cohesion,” he adds.

For the municipality, animal rescue in Braga “is no longer an occasional response, but has become a structured, permanent and integrated service, reflecting a modern vision of urban governance in which respect for animal life is an integral part of collective well-being.”