Animal Law News
The latest news and views about animal protection law and policy in the UK and beyond. Written by our volunteer team and guest contributors.
An Analysis of the UK’s Ivory Act
By Rob Espin What follows is a summary abstract of a longer article from our latest edition of the UK Journal of Animal Law, available to members of the UK Centre for Animal Law. If you would like...
Crown Court given first suspended prison sentence ruling in animal cruelty case
By Debbie Lee A man was handed an eight-month suspended prison sentence from the Crown Court for poisoning his neighbours' cats, using a high concentration of ethylene glycol mixed with tuna...
A Deep Dive: Exploring the truth behind UK fish and crustacean welfare
by Mary Legge and Nadia Napieraj On April 13, our Student Chapter held an in-depth consideration of fish & crustacean welfare in the UK, joined online by five speakers and more than 50...
The Pressing Need for Horseshoe Crab Protection
By Mia Puplett Whilst many people might recognise the horseshoe crab’s alien-like appearance, few know that these animals are used in huge numbers in medicine. Horseshoe crabs, which are...
Chile Supreme Court Dismisses Orangutan ‘Personhood’ Petition
By Dr. Joe Wills, Lecturer in Law, University of Leicester Background The name ‘orangutan’ is derived from the Malay words 'orang' (person) and 'hutan' (forest), and thus means 'person of the...
Comment on the 2022 Cecilia Moot from Thompson G. Page
Shared by Thompson G. Page, American lawyer and general counsel to The Center for Animal Litigation, Inc. Participating as a judge in the 2022 Cecilia Moot was a pure delight, and for many who...
New legislation: Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022
By Kirsty Allen, solicitor The uncontrolled use of glue traps by members of the English and Welsh public will soon be banned thanks to the passing of new legislation. Despite their potential to...
A Licence to Languish: Elephants and The Zoo Licencing Act 1981
By Hollie Bates, Caseworker at Freedom Law Clinic In the USA, the legal status of animals is currently being challenged by The Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP),i whose landmark legal case seeks...
Pioneering and Historic Resolution for Animal Welfare at UNEA
By Charlotte Johnson, student at University of Winchester On March 2, Member States at the UNEA (the United Nations Environment Assembly) adopted the ‘Animal Welfare–Environment–Sustainable...
Ireland moves to ban fur farming
By Gretta Dattan, MCL student at University College Dublin Although the cruelty of fur farming has been well known for many years1, momentum towards banning this practice only now appears to be...
The opportunity for inclusion of animals in the Chilean Constitution
By Sabina Bravo R., Law Graduate of University of Chile On October 18, 2019, coordinated demonstrations and mass riots began in Santiago, Chile. A significant portion of society was acting in...
Legal Careers in Animal Law or Relevant Fields
By Debbie Lee, student The number of students interested in animal law seems to increase every year. To work in law related to animal issues, you will have to first qualify as a solicitor, a legal...
The welfare of Indian street dogs
By Samantha Ray Das, law graduate of KIIT University School of Law; Advisor at Deloitte US India Indian streets are home to an estimated 40 million stray canines. One can find a pack of stray dogs...
Orcapedia: A Guide to the Victims of the International Orca Slave Trade by Captain Paul Watson & Tiffany Humphrey
Review by Alia De Bellotte, student at The University of Law Orcapedia is a recent work from environmental activist and prolific writer Captain Paul...
Najin and Fatu: The Last Two Northern White Rhinos
By Hollie Bates, caseworker at Freedom Law Clinic At Ol Pejeta conservancy in Kenya’s Laikipia region, four hours north of Nairobi, the last two northern white rhinos live...
A-LAW Members help secure legal victory for Scottish beavers
A legal win for Scottish beavers! The judgment was handed down today in the legal challenge brought by Trees for Life against the Scottish Government’s beaver killing policy. A judge decided that...
Podcast: A legal perspective on puppy farming and dog theft in Ireland
In the latest episode, Paula discusses the puppy trade and dog theft in Ireland with Dr. Stephanie O’ Flynn, a Lecturer in Law in the Department of Law and Criminal Justice at Waterford Institute of...
Podcast: Proposed restrictions on the import of dogs into Great Britain
With a consultation into the Commercial and Non-Commercial Movement of Pets into Great Britain due to close on 16 Oct 2021, we ask three campaigners (Marc Abraham, Sarah Dixon and Jordan Shelley) at...
Podcast: Should pet abduction be a specific offence?
In this episode, we discuss the case for a specific crime of pet abduction. Should the criminal justice system treat the theft of companion animals in the same way as the theft of inanimate property...
Video: A-LAW responds to the Government’s proposed ban on privately kept primates
Watch this short video to find out more about our position on the UK Government's proposal to ban the private keeping of primates. In February 2021, our Wildlife Law and Companion Animal Law Working...
Factory Farming: The legal challenge against the UK government
Find out more about Humane Being’s legal challenge against the UK Government to end factory farming.
Video: The Cecilia Moot
Find out more about The Cecilia Moot, the UK's first annual animal law mooting competition in this video. The competition is hosted annually by A-LAW, and provides students with a fantastic...
Video: An exchange of minds between the UK and India to protect IUCN Red Listed Species
On Earth Day, April 22 2021, A-LAW's Student Ambassadors, Aditi Bardia, Aryan Mandal and Parnika Chaturvedi, hosted guest speakers Gauri Maulekhi, Trustee, People For Animals India, and Duncan...
Video: Animal Law Careers: Academic Pathways by A-LAW’s Young Animal Lawyers Network
On 15th September 2021, our newly formed Young Animal Lawyers Network celebrated their launch with an event all about animal law careers. The event focused on academic career paths and featured...