Animal Law News

£25,000 bounty for a dog's head

A sniffer dog has had a £25,000 bounty placed on its head by criminals because it is so good at its job, its owner has claimed. Springer spaniel Scamp managed to detect £6m worth of illegal tobacco in a year, causing headaches for smugglers and black market dealers. His powerful sense of smell led to a string of court cases

Dogs are obviously an established part of our society. When people think about dogs, they usually think about them as pets. But take a moment to think about the wider roles that dogs fulfil to protect and serve the public. Scamp obviously works as...more >>

CCTV in abattoirs - to doggie daycare centres?
Poland’s Chief Veterinarian has ordered controls in slaughterhouses after television footage showed a company killing sick cows and selling the meat for human consumption.
 
Poland produces about 560,000 tonnes of beef a year, with 85 percent exported to countries including Britain, Spain, Italy and Germany. The footage showed sick cows being transported to the slaughterhouse where they were mistreated and killed.
 
It raises the old question about putting CCTV cameras in abattoirs, dairy cow milking sheds, shearing sheds, and...more >>

You do know the latest about the whales, right?

Issues of whales, conservation, and the tensions between country and international law are just some of the issues highlighted in the news about Japan withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission ("IWC") and resume commercial whaling. The commission, with 89 member governments, was established in 1946 to conserve whales and manage whaling around the world. It banned commercial whaling in 1986.

 
So how does that work, and "what are the facts" that clearly accompany the emotion and subjective opinion about that news?
...more >>

Do animals experience grief?

A Thai man has made it his life's mission to help people through their grief with animals. (https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/clm1wxp533pt/animals)

There's no doubt that when pets are lost or die, there are those who mourn their loss....more >>

The Chinese variant of bull fighting

So, you've heard about the bullfighting in Spain, right? And the debates questioning how the law can condone harming an animal for peoples entertainment?

Animal welfare groups have celebrated when the practice of bullfighting has been banned in certain areas. But in China, the practice is seemingly simply varied. the Chinese variant of bullfighting doesn’t involve swords or gore like it’s Spanish counterpart, but instead is a combination of wrestling and kung fu to bring down the animals involved.

Typically, a fighter approaches the bull head-on, grabs its...more >>

Live exports: What underpins the controversy?

So when you hear the term “live exports”, what do you think of? And are you a supporter, or a non-supporter, or …?

New Zealand is a country that has made a lot of its alleged ban on live exports. In 2003 the Government banned the export of live sheep after a disastrous shipment went wrong and 4000 sheep died en route to Saudi Arabia. The export of live sheep for slaughter was suspended in 2003 and in 2007 the Government introduced a Customs Export Prohibition Order (CEPO) on all livestock for slaughter.

In early 2014, MPI Minister Nathan...more >>

Have you seen alligators at your airport?
When someone comments on "the human-animal relationship", many of us nod sagely in agreement that there's obviously an inseparable connection between people and animals - but would you have picked that alligators at the airport would be used to foster that relationship, and provide benefits to human travellers?
 
In recent years, airports around the world have recognized the power of cute, cuddly animals for soothing harried, stressed-out flyers. Flyers travelling through Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport this winter are being...more >>

How Close Are We to Talking With Animals?
One of the things that we've recognised for a long time, is that as people, we like those who "are like us". That's not restricted just to whether or not we like other people, but also to whether or not we like certain animals. 
 
Science and communication technology have been key advancements that let people know about animals, and see how much they "are like us". Unsuprisingly, the law reflects people's bias about protecting animals as well. We like pandas, elephants, and dolphins - hairy spiders, venomous snakes, scary...more >>

Smile for the camera: Computers successfully trained to identify animals in photos
A computer model developed at the University of Wyoming by UW researchers and others has demonstrated remarkable accuracy and efficiency in identifying images of wild animals from camera-trap photographs in North America.
 
The artificial-intelligence breakthrough, detailed in a paper published in the scientific journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution, is described as a significant advancement in the study and conservation of wildlife. The computer model is now available in a software package for Program R, a widely used programming language and free software...more >>

The two primary causes of species extinction are ....?

Can you succinctly state them?

 
1. Over-predation. Basically, the animals are hunted and killed faster than what they can reproduce.
2. Habitat destruction.
 
Have you noticed how so many programs, "new" initiatives, and anti-cruelty organisations strive to deal with the issues created by people? And (this is almost funny if the outcomes weren't so destructive) how governors and other "do-well-ers" point to almost every other contributor OTHER THAN people. Politically, of course, that's all dressed...more >>