Archives

Mexico Adds Animal Protection to its Constitution

Mexico has become the tenth country to include animal protection in its constitution. The new provisions regarding animal protection and care were signed by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in December 2024 and became effective immediately.

April 16, 2025 Animal Law Update

Clarifying that Fish are “Animals,” Connecticut Bans the Use of Goldfish as Carnival Prizes

With an amendment to its consumer protection law, Connecticut has made it illegal to use fish as prizes for carnivals and other games.

February 7, 2025 Animal Law Update

Massachusetts Bans the Use of Certain Wild Animals in Traveling Circus Acts

Effective January 1, 2025, Massachusetts’s Bill S.2189 bans the use of several species of wild animals in traveling shows. The new law, signed by Governor Maura Healy in summer 2024, protects elephants, big cats, nonhuman primates, bears, and giraffes from being exhibited or forced to perform in mobile acts like circuses, carnivals, and fairs.

February 7, 2025 Animal Law Update

B.C. Supreme Court Awards Shared Custody of a Dog After Changes to Family Law Act

In a first-of-its-kind ruling in Canada, the Supreme Court of British Columbia (B.C.) has awarded shared custody of a dog, referencing her best interests, animal sentience, and recent changes to the Family Law Act, which differentiate companion animals from other property in divorce proceedings.

October 2, 2024 Animal Law Update

Pet Abduction Bill Becomes Law in England and Northern Ireland

England and Northern Ireland’s Pet Abduction Act 2024 makes it a crime to abduct a companion animal.

July 10, 2024 Animal Law Update

Florida Prohibits Public Housing Policies that Restrict Dogs Based on Breed, Size, or Weight

While a positive step forward, Florida’s new law could be strengthened by being more inclusive, covering private rentals as well as public housing.

May 14, 2024 Animal Law Update

Delaware Legislation Enhances Protections for Companion Animals in Families

Delaware’s new legislation recognizes that companion animals are left vulnerable when the law fails to clearly differentiate them, as sentient beings, from other property.

October 18, 2023 Animal Law Update

Argentine Court Recognizes Visitation Agreement for Dogs in Divorce Settlement

This decision is significant because it handled the care of companion animals within a divorce framework with recognition they are sentient beings who are members of a multispecies family, rather than mere property.

August 24, 2023 Animal Law Update

Ecuador’s Constitutional Court Rules Wild Animals Are Subjects of Legal Rights Under the Rights of Nature

In January 2022, the Constitutional Court of Ecuador issued a landmark ruling that individual wild animals are subjects of legal rights under Ecuador’s “rights of nature” constitutional provision. The case involved a woolly monkey who was taken from the wild as a baby and kept unlawfully in a private home for 18 years.

January 4, 2023 Animal Law Update

Madrid Court Awards Joint Custody of a Dog in a Pioneering Ruling

In a pioneering ruling issued in October 2021, a Madrid court awarded joint custody of a dog, explicitly recognizing the emotional bond between the plaintiff and the animal.

April 5, 2022 Animal Law Update