Importância do exame de corpo de delito na medicina veterinária legal

This article aims to present the importance of forensic examinations in Veterinary Forensic Medicine, highlighting their application in cases of animal abuse, poisoning, physical assaults, and suspicious deaths involving animals. It is a literature review that demonstrates how the work of the veterinary forensic expert significantly contributes to the elucidation of crimes and the effectiveness of justice through technical analyses and the preparation of well-founded forensic reports. Forensic examination is considered an essential procedure for identifying injuries, understanding the nature of trauma, and establishing the chronology of events through thorough observation of the animal, whether alive or deceased. The study addresses the different categories of energy sources that cause harm (mechanical, physical, chemical, physical-chemical and biodynamic) as well as the instruments associated with each type of injury. This paper also highlights the technological and methodological advances that have been enhancing forensic practice, while pointing out the structural challenges faced by this specialty in Brazil. The ethical, technical, and committed conduct of the veterinary forensic expert is emphasized as a fundamental element for the credibility of forensic reports and for informed decision-making by legal professionals. It is concluded that Veterinary Forensic Medicine today occupies a strategic position in animal protection and the fight against impunity, with forensic examination being an indispensable tool in the process of accountability and the promotion of justice.