They will no longer be able to be seized, abandoned, mistreated or separated from one of their owners in the case of a divorce or separation, without having their wellbeing and protection taken into account.”
#SPAIN ANIMAL SENTIENCE FREE#
Skeptics say attached animal owners are simply projecting human traits onto creatures that still exist purely on a primal level, free of the consciousness that supposedly makes human beings unique.īut a new law in Spain challenges that assumption with real weight behind it, labeling all animals, including wild ones, as sentient beings.Īccording to El Pais: “From now on, animals will be treated as “sentient beings,” and as such will have a different legal standing than an inanimate object. If you’ve ever stared into a dog or cat’s eyes, you’ve certainly seen a spectrum of emotions and thoughts reflected back to you: love, anger, trust, curiosity, playfulness and so on. Passionate about pets? Read about ethically adopting animals in the UK.New law in Spain classifies animals as ‘sentient beings’Īt some point, every pet owner has wondered what their animals were thinking. Other countries to pass similar laws include France, Brussels, Australia, and New Zealand. In November, the UK amended its Animal Welfare Bill to give additional protections to crustaceans and cephalopods, like octopuses and lobsters, the sentience of which was previously unrecognised. Spain joins a growing list of countries that recognise animals as sentient beings. The cruel practice of bullfighting is already banned in at least 100 towns in Spain, according to animal rights group PETA. However, the new law does not address other instances of animal cruelty, namely bullfighting. “In the event that the injury to a pet animal has resulted in its death or in a serious impairment of their physical or psychological health, both its owner and those who live with the animal are entitled to compensation for the moral damage caused.” The Animal League Defense Fund quotes the bill: “Expenses for the healing and care of an animal injured or abandoned by a third party are recoverable by whoever paid them insofar as they have been provided and even if they exceeded the value of the animal.
The legislation also addresses companion animals’ mental and physical health. Moreover, companion animals and farm animals can no longer be seized as assets in the case of unpaid debts. Under the new law, animals cannot be abandoned. María González Lacabex of INTERcids, an animal welfare organization says, “It’s a step forward and it says that in separations and divorces, the arrangement that will be applied to the animals will take into account not only the interests of the humans, but also of the animal,”Īccording to green group Ecologistas en Action, three animals are abandoned every five minutes in Spain – amounting to 300,000 every year. The impact of the new law could be far-reaching, considering that around 30,000 married couples with pets are divorced every year in Spain, according to Euro Weekly News. In the case of a divorce or separation, an animal’s overall wellbeing must first be addressed before being separated from the animal’s owners.
The law updates Spain’s Civil Code, Mortgage Law, and Civil Procedure Law – relating to conflicts about family and property.
The new law passed with majority approval, except by the country’s far-right Vox party, which opposed the legislation. Wild animals are included in the new law, but the main focus is on greater legal protections for domesticated animals, particularly in family disputes.
#SPAIN ANIMAL SENTIENCE CODE#
Under the bill, Spain has seen an amendment to the country’s civil code which recognises animals are “living beings endowed with sentience” rather than “things” or “moveable property.” It did not appear before congress until earlier this year, finally passing Spain’s upper house in September. The bill has been in consideration for a long time after first being introduced in 2017. Spain has become the latest country to recognise animals’ sentience with the passing of new legislation.
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