Animal Law

Series: Halsbury's Laws of Canada

The use of animals for food, labour and pleasure pursuits has long been justified with the assumption that unlike humans, animals aren't fully sentient beings. In recent years, however, science has revealed an astonishing array of complex animal behaviour, and scientists and policy makers now accept that the animals we make use of are indeed conscious, with preferences and intentions. The implications for our culture of factory farming, fast food and rainforest liquidation are staggering. In this powerful book, internationally renowned experts on animal behaviour and agriculture such as Jane Goodall, Tim Lang and Vandana Shiva are brought together with ethicists, religious scholars, international industry and regulators for the first time to debate these critical issues and tackle the profound implications of animal sentience.

The Ethical Case against Animal Experiments begins with a groundbreaking and comprehensive ethical critique of the practice of animal experiments by the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. A second section offers original writings that engage with, and elaborate on, aspects of the Oxford Centre report. The essayists explore historical, philosophical, and personal perspectives that range from animal experiments in classical times to the place of necessity in animal research to one researcher's painful journey from researcher to opponent.

Although scholars in the disciplines of law, psychology, philosophy, and sociology have published a considerable number of prescriptive, normative, and theoretical studies of animals in society, Pet Politics presents the first study of the development of companion animal or pet law and policy in Canada and the United States by political scientists. The authors examine how people and governments classify three species of pets or companion animals--cats, dogs, and horses--for various degrees of legal protection.

Addressing the interests of non-human animals in an era of globalization requires consideration of a wide range of international influences upon domestic caselaw, policy, and legal doctrine.
This book explores the impact of a wide range of international environmental and economic laws on domestic efforts to advance non-human animal interests and is suitable for use in a stand-alone seminar or to supplement existing courses with more depth on the myriad connections between domestic animal law and global issues and agreements.

Why do people harm, injure, torture and kill animals? This book evaluates the reasons why these crimes are committed and outlines the characteristics of the animal offender. It considers ethical and value judgements made about animals and the tacit acknowledgement and justification of unacceptable criminal behaviour towards the harming of animals made by offenders. Situating animal abuse, wildlife crime, illegal wildlife trading and other unlawful activities directed at animals firmly within Green Criminology, the book contends that this is a distinct, multi-dimensional type of criminality which persists despite the introduction of relevant legislation.

For much of our history, legal scholars focused predominantly on the law's implications for human beings, while ignoring how the law influences animal welfare. Since the 1970s, however, there has been a steep increase in animal advocates' use of the courts. Animal law has blossomed into a vibrant academic discipline, with a rich literature that examines how the law affects animal welfare and the ability of humans to advocate on behalf of nonhuman animals. This book fills the gap in animal law literature. This is the first empirically-based analysis of animal law that emphasizes the political forces that shape animal law outcomes.

Animals and the Law examines the unique role that animals play as living property in a legal system conceived by and for human beings. On the one hand, animals are things that we buy, eat, and use in experiments. On the other, they are beloved family companions. The book traces the history of laws dealing with animals, from the animal trials which began in the thirteenth century in Europe, through the development of anti-cruelty laws, to the present struggle to cope with the conflicting implications of biotechnology and other industrial uses for animals, and, indeed, artificially created living things.

Canadian Perspectives on Animals and the Law provides an important new contribution to the debate on the legal status and treatment of animals in Canada. Twelve chapters by leading academics and practising lawyers address a range of doctrinal and conceptual questions, situating legal analysis in the broader context of ethical and philosophical debate about justice in human-animal relationships. Topics addressed include the Ikea monkey case, key shortcomings in Canada’s animal cruelty law, the relationship between animal rights and the rights of Canada’s indigenous peoples, and the emergence of animal protection in international law.

Topics include animal anti-cruelty laws, industrial and agricultural uses of animals, torts and other claims for harm done to animals, as well as federal, state and local regulation of animal ownership and use, animal rights activism, hunting, fishing and other recreational uses of animals, animals in entertainment, issues arising when animals are the subject of a contract or the intended beneficiary of a will or trust, remedies for harm done to animals, international animal law, and anticipated future legal developments in the field.

Animal Law: Welfare Interests & Rights, Third Edition, by David Favre, exposes the student to the wide scope of legal and ethical issues surrounding animal law in our society. It contains a mix of cases and essay materials for a number of animal issues in the context of state police power, constitutional law, and traditional common law. A primary focus is the property status of animals in the civil and criminal law, the expanding visibility of dogs in our legal system, and the most recent attempts to seek legal rights for animals. New to the Third Edition: The introduction provides more focused materials on the fundamental concepts, such as pain and suffering, that are needed for the entire course. The chapter on damages is rewritten with new organization and updated cases. The chapter on legal rights for animals is significantly enhanced with the most recent cases. In all chapters, references are updated. Professors and students will benefit from: Clear consideration of the history of anti-cruelty criminal laws and the difficulties of using the criminal law to help animals. The key phrase of "unnecessary pain and suffering" is considered in detail. A clear articulation of the enhanced status of companion animals, within the ever-changing state laws of our country. A review of the significant limitations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. An explanation of the power of the state to pass laws regulating companions, laws dealing with breed specific bans, and dangerous dog laws. An in-depth consideration of the status of companion animals both as property and as beings with legal rights in some circumstances. Significant editing of all cases.

This text not only covers obvious topics such as dangerous dog litigation, veterinary malpractice, wildlife law, service animals, valuation of animals, humans harmed by animals, end-of-life/euthanasia, and custody issues; but also provides analysis of other areas of law where they intersect with animal law issues, such as: criminal law, estate planning, consumer protection, bankruptcy, insurance law, contractual disputes, and Section 1983.

Animal law is, in its simplest (and broadest) sense, a combination of statutory and decisional law in which the nature -- legal, social, or biological -- of non-human animals is an important factor. The fifth edition is updated significantly, while continuing to present a cohesive format that touches on many areas in which animals affect legal doctrines, case law, and legislative direction. Because animal law is not a traditional legal field, the book is largely framed according to traditional legal headings such as tort, contract, criminal and constitutional law. Each chapter sets out cases and commentary where animal law continues to develop its own doctrine.

Dogs are getting lawyers. Cats are getting kidney transplants. Could they one day be fellow citizens? Cats and dogs were once wild animals. Today, they are family members and surrogate children. A little over a century ago, pets didn't warrant the meager legal status of property. Now, they have more rights and protections than any other animal in the country. Some say they're even on the verge of becoming legal persons. How did we get here--and what happens next? In this fascinating exploration of the changing status of dogs and cats in society, pet lover and award-winning journalist David Grimm explores the rich and surprising history of our favorite companion animals.