Before PACT, animal cruelty in the U.S. was regulated by laws at the local level, making it difficult to litigate cases covering different states. According to a ranking compiled by the American Animal Legal Defense Fund, in 2018 animal rights were best protected in states such as Illinois, Oregon, Maine, Colorado, and Massachusetts, and worst in North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Alaska, and South Carolina. Louisiana (the state moved from No. 21 to No. 7 on the list) and Massachusetts (from No. 14 to No. 5) saw the most progress, as the report’s authors note, with stricter liability for sexual assault on animals.
In the middle of the list (20th place) is Delaware, which this year became the first U.S. state to have virtually no animals put to sleep in shelters – thanks in part to the fight against commercial puppy breeding, as well as programs to “adopt”, trap, neuter and spay cats. By 2025, Delaware pet advocates hope to have banned euthanasia of animals nationwide. In October, a number of legislative measures also took place in California (8th place in the ranking): the governor of the state Gavin Newsom signed the law which prohibits the manufacture and sale of fur products and engagement of animals in circus performances (it is also prohibited in Hawaii and New Jersey). Since the beginning of this year, it has also been illegal in California to sell dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores unless the animals come from shelters, charities and animal welfare societies. Violators face a $500 fine. Similar restrictions are in place in the UK: in early 2019, the authorities banned pet stores from selling puppies and kittens in order to thus suspend the activities of unscrupulous breeders.
In Germany, animal rights are protected at the level of the Constitution – this is stated in Article 20, paragraph “a.” The country also has a separate law – the German Animal Welfare Act – which prohibits causing suffering to animals without a valid reason, among them: surgery, slaughter for subsequent production of products and scientific research. Meanwhile, Germany, according to Deutsche Welle, is one of the leaders in the number of animal tests conducted for scientific purposes, with about 2.8 million animals involved in 2017 alone. To address this problem, Germany and Switzerland are investing in high-tech centers to develop alternative research methods.
In Switzerland itself, which receives high marks in the field of animal rights protection, they recently banned the boiling of live lobsters: they must first be stunned and then killed. By law, the country also forbids the use of devices that prevent dogs from barking, and animals that have difficulty tolerating solitude – such as guinea pigs or parrots – must only be kept in pairs. Moreover, Swiss farmers are not advised to hang bells on their cows, as the authorities think they cause pain and discomfort to animals and can be easily replaced by GPS trackers.
In the Netherlands in 2002, the Party for the Protection of Animals (Partij voor de Dieren, PvdD) was created, which pursues a policy aimed at protecting the life and health of animals. In 2006, the party won two seats in the Dutch parliament for the first time, and in 2014 was elected to the European Parliament.
Individual organizations also fight for animal rights. In 1981, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) was formed as a result of the merger of the International Society for the Protection of Animals and the World Federation for the Protection of Animals. In 2014, the organization changed its name to World Animal Protection (WAP), and today it fights for the humane treatment of wild, domestic and farm animals worldwide, working closely with other animal protection organizations and the UN. In 2018, WAP was able to vaccinate 83,000 dogs against rabies in Sierra Leone and Kenya, helped over 450,000 animals recover from natural disasters, and collected over 500,000 signatures for a petition to improve conditions for chickens raised to make meals for KFC fast food restaurants.
