Research Handbook on Animal Law and Animal Rights

This Research Handbook examines contemporary animal law and its relationship to the philosophical and legal idea of animal rights. Adopting an inter- and multidisciplinary approach, it explores the role of legal theory, legal practice, strategic litigation and advocacy in the global development of laws protecting animals.

Tomasz Pietrzykowski and Birgitta Wahlberg bring together expert contributing authors to discuss interspecies constitutionalizing and the evolution of animal law scholarship. They shed light on jurisprudence and questions of legal status, highlighting key scientific, ethical, economic, religious, and cultural contexts. The Research Handbook covers the relationship between animal rights and human rights, addressing key case studies including animal dignity laws in Switzerland and the legal repercussions for offences against animals in Finland. Ultimately, it illustrates the importance of ongoing professional and scholarly engagement in animal protection.

The Research Handbook on Animal Law and Animal Rights is an essential resource for scholars and students of animal law, environmental law, and legal philosophy, as well as for practitioners of law. Its practical dimensions and forward-thinking insights will greatly benefit legal practitioners and officials interested in animal status and protection.

Edited by Tomasz Pietrzykowski, Professor of Law, Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland and Birgitta Wahlberg, Lecturer in Public Law, Åbo Akademi University, Finland