The political landscape is shifting as scientists more forthrightly proclaim that animals are conscious beings, and as households spend more enthusiastically on pets cherished as family members.įor the veterinary profession, the shift presents a two-edged sword. states including New York, Massachusetts and Nevada are currently advocating through proposed legislation a greater recognition of animals' intrinsic worth when they are harmed. In the U.S., Oregon appears to be the only state so far to specifically cite animal sentience in its laws, in 2013. Sweden and the Belgian capital of Brussels both joined the club in 2018. France, New Zealand and the Canadian province of Quebec all explicitly recognized animal sentience in their laws in 2015. The U.K.'s ruling conservative government, meanwhile, recently pledged to enshrine the concept of animal sentience into national law, bringing it in line with European Union directives that have been in place for decades. Among the Scottish commission's remit: to consider "possible legislative and non-legislative routes to further protect the welfare of sentient animals." In late February, Scotland appointed members to a new independent Animal Welfare Commission, claimed to be the first body of its kind in the United Kingdom. "This love and appreciation of animals means our community is very concerned - and has a high level of awareness - about animal welfare." Ĭute kangaroos and towering emus notwithstanding, Canberrans aren't the only people paying greater heed to animal sentience, which, loosely defined, denotes a recognition that animals are conscious beings capable of feeling pleasure, pain and emotions, such as distress and joy. "Canberrans love animals," then city services minister Meegan Fitzharris says in the introduction to the paper. The rules were inspired by the territory's Animal Welfare and Management Strategy, released in 2017. Harsher penalties, of up to AU$16,000 (US$10,285), apply if individuals "in charge of an animal" don't provide "appropriate treatment for illness, disease or injury,” including veterinary treatment. The fine is issuable, the legislation states, if an animal is "confined so that it cannot exercise for a continuous period of 24 hours." Nowadays, if you're a pet owner in Canberra, you could be fined up to AU$4000 (US$2,571) for failing to walk your dog. Last October, the left-leaning government there started enforcing legislation that recognizes animals as "sentient beings that are able to subjectively feel and perceive the world around them" and possess "intrinsic value." Some local politicians will tell you that it's perhaps no surprise, then, that the small jurisdiction that encompasses Canberra, called the Australian Capital Territory, has adopted to some of the strictest animal welfare laws in the world. The city also is home to hundreds of bird species, including the emu, and flanked by mountain ranges and nature reserves. It's not completely out of the ordinary, for instance, to see kangaroos hopping about in Canberra's suburban parks. And it harbors an abundance of native animal life. Home to around 400,000 people, Canberra is sleepier than the coastal metropolises of Sydney and Melbourne. To the locals, Australia's capital city of Canberra is known as the "bush capital." Books & VINcyclopedia of Diseases (Formerly Associate).VINcyclopedia of Diseases (Formerly Associate).
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