Abstract
The recognition of animal rights highlights sentience and the need for legal protection, reflecting the evolution of the theory of procedural capacity, which seeks to ensure the full participation of subjects, including those traditionally considered incapable, such as animals, in legal proceedings involving their rights. In this context, cases of animal abuse trigger intense ethical and legal debate, with forensic evidence being essential for holding offenders accountable.
Virtopsy, a technique that employs imaging methods such as radiography, enables the investigation of the cause of death in a less invasive manner. This study presents a collection of cases examined at the Laboratory of Pathological Anatomy of UNICENTRO and other universities, demonstrating virtopsy as a forensic tool in investigations of animal abuse, contributing to evidence collection that supports legal actions and ensuring the effectiveness of procedural guarantees in animal protection.