Animal Law

Holy Cow! Sacred Bull Spared in UK Case

At least for the moment, Shambo is safe from the butcher’s knife. Revered by the Hindu Skanda Vale Community in West Wales, the 6-year-old Friesian bull had tested positive for bovine tuberculosis and been ordered slaughtered by the Welsh Assembly. But a High Court judge in Cardiff ruled today in…

Jul 17, 2007 12:09 AM CDT

PETA to Puerto Rico: Ban Cockfights

With cockfighting soon to be banned by all 50 states, animal rights activists are turning their sights on one remaining U.S. bastion of what they consider a barbaric blood sport: Puerto Rico. Pitting two specially bred roosters, often with metal or plastic spurs strapped to their feet, in a bloody…

Jul 16, 2007 7:29 PM CDT

Cockfighting Soon Illegal in 50 States

Cockfighting will soon be illegal in all 50 states. A bill banning the sport in Louisiana, the only state where it is currently legal, was signed yesterday by the state governor and takes effect next summer. It is already illegal to gamble on cockfights in Louisiana under a law that…

Jul 13, 2007 5:56 PM CDT

Proposed Calif. Pet-Spay Law is Neutered

A proposed California bill that would have required pet owners to spay or neuter their animals or face a $500 fine has been tabled following an outpouring of support–and concern–from tens of thousands of state residents. The huge response has prompted law-makers to stop and think before proceeding, reports the…

Jul 12, 2007 3:27 AM CDT

‘Best Interest’ in Chimp Custody Case?

Are Emma, 5, and Jackson, 6, just somebody’s property? Or are the two chimpanzees, with their individual interests and tastes–she likes watermelon, for instance, while he prefers grapefruit–entitled to have their best interest taken into account when a court decides who owns them? That is the question that is now…

Jul 3, 2007 12:37 AM CDT

3 Not-So-Little Pigs’ Upscale Home Saved

Three not-so-little pigs living in the upscale Chicago suburb of Lake Forest didn’t, of course, have to worry about a wolf huffing and puffing and blowing their rickety house down. But their owner and her children were plenty concerned about a judge’s potential ban of the 200-pound porkers from their…

Jun 27, 2007 7:25 PM CDT

New Boston Shelter for Abused Pets Helps Abused Humans, Too

A first-of-its kind shelter program for abused pets in Boston is expected not only to aid animals targeted by abusive humans but help people in the pet’s family protect themselves from violence, too. That’s because people who abuse animals often abuse fellow humans as well. Plus, it isn’t unusual for…

Jun 7, 2007 9:01 PM CDT

Legislative Focus: Puppy Mills, Pet Shops

New legislation in Nebraska that strengthens regulation of kennel operations is reportedly part of a national focus on eliminating so-called puppy mills that breed dogs under questionable conditions and pet shops that sell them. “Most breeders learn how to keep their standards just above violating cruelty statutes, but the conditions…

Jun 4, 2007 6:06 PM CDT

Attorney Appointed for Dog in Estate Dispute

A four-way custody dispute over a 13-year-old golden retriever became so intense that a Tennessee probate judge appointed an attorney as a guardian ad litem to represent the canine’s best interest. The dog, named Alex, was in need of a new home because of the suicide of his owner, Roy…

May 8, 2007 6:30 PM CDT

Possible Ruling: Chimp a ‘Person’ with Rights

In a case that could prove a persuasive precedent for other judges internationally, animal rights activists in Vienna are seeking a court ruling that a chimpanzee is legally a person. This would allow the chimp rights, such as having a legal guardian appointed, that are not available to nonpersons. Those…

May 4, 2007 8:59 PM CDT

China Arrests Alleged Culprit in Pet Food Case

The general manager of a Chinese company whose contaminated wheat gluten allegedly ended up sickening thousands of pets in the U.S. and South Africa has been arrested on undisclosed charges. Mao Lijun denied in an interview several weeks ago that his company’s product ended up in the pet food that…

May 3, 2007 8:22 PM CDT

No Arrest for Illicit Horse ‘Deposit’ at Bank

Even in today’s world, there is some bad behavior that doesn’t yet require a legal remedy. That rule applies, for instance, in the case of a German bank customer who, apparently after imbibing a few too many, reportedly bedded down—along with the horse he rode in on—in the ATM anteroom…

Apr 25, 2007 9:20 PM CDT

Mass Tort Lawyers Join ‘Wave’ of Pet-Food Suits

Grieving pet owners have filed at least 50 class-action lawsuits in federal courts, most of them in New Jersey, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. And that doesn’t include the large number of suits seeking damages for pet-food contamination likely filed in state courts as well. The suits are “quickly building into…

Apr 23, 2007 8:08 PM CDT

Traffic Court Discourages Lawyer’s Service Dog

A disabled Rockville Centre, N.Y., lawyer arranged a plea deal for her client in a hallway this week after Nassau County traffic court officials discouraged her from entering the crowded courtroom with her service dog. Court officials say they asked her to wait until there was more space, the AP…

Apr 21, 2007 12:36 AM CDT

Ruling Expected Soon in Dog-Mauling Appeal

A dog-mauling case pending before the California Supreme Court is expected to determine when an unintended death can be a murder, the Los Angeles Times reports. A ruling is expected soon, the newspaper says. The state contends dog owner Marjorie Knoller was aware her vicious dogs were potential killers. As…

Apr 16, 2007 2:10 PM CDT