The Animal Legal Education Initiative: Resource Materials

Read more about the Animal Legal Education Initiative (ALEI) resource materials.

Selected Landmark Decisions

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s lawsuits against Cricket Hollow Zoo Iowa set two legal precedents: 1) violations of animal cruelty laws constitute public nuisance violations, and 2) the federal Endangered Species Act applies to animals in captivity, not just those in the wild.

In pursuit of deposing two wildlife experts with expertise in nonsurgical sterilization who reside in Ohio, the Animal Legal Defense Fund filed an application on behalf of the plaintiffs in a Columbian lawsuit against the country’s government regarding a plan to kill roughly 100 hippos who are descendants of animals imported by Pablo Escobar.

In this case the Oregon Supreme Court affirmed that animals who are abused by their owner are “victims” of those crimes and that each animal subjected to abuse counts as a separate victim of that crime, rejecting a defendant’s attempt to merge all 20 of his animal neglect convictions into just one count.

In this case the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that the “emergency aid” doctrine, which allows warrantless searches or seizures that law enforcement officers reasonably believe are necessary to render immediate aid or assistance applies to animal cruelty victims in imminent harm.

In this case the Oregon Supreme Court held that when law enforcement legally seizes an animal and has probable cause to believe that the animal is being cruelly treated, they do not need to obtain a warrant before a veterinarian can administer a routine blood test to determine the cause of that animal’s condition. Defendant had argued that the blood testing was an unlawful search because dogs are personal property under Oregon law, taking the position that dogs are “no different than a folder or a stereo or a vehicle or a boot.” The court rejected this argument, ruling that a dog is not legally analogous to these other items of personal property. Crucial to the court’s finding was the unique nature of animals which, though legally considered property, are nonetheless “sentient beings capable of experiencing pain, stress and fear.” The court emphasized that an animal should not be analyzed like a closed container or any other object.

The Islamabad High Court in Pakistan held that animals have legal and natural rights and are entitled to protection under the Pakistani constitution. The case before the court was threefold, involving an elephant held in solitary confinement at a zoo, a rescued bear who had been forced to “dance” and perform tricks, and the killing of stray dogs. Despite at times anthropocentric framing, the ruling unequivocally recognizes that animals have legal rights and is highly critical of humanity’s treatment of wild animals in particular.

Animal Law: Cases and Materials, 6th Ed. by Bruce A. Wagman, Sonia S. Waisman, Pamela D. Frasch

This casebook provides a detailed survey format that touches on many areas in which animals affect legal doctrines, case law, and legislative direction. Because animal law is not a traditional legal field, the book is largely framed according to traditional legal headings such as tort, contract, criminal, and constitutional law.

Animal Law-New Perspectives on Teaching Traditional Law by Kathy Hessler, Joyce Tischler, Pamela Hart, and Sonia Waisman

This casebook offers animal law cases as a new lens through which law professors and students may explore core legal concepts across a broad range of courses including contracts, criminal law, torts, property, constitutional law, commercial law, wills and trusts, domestic relations, environmental law, evidence, patent and tax law.

Animal Law in a nutshell, 3rd Ed. by Sonia S. Waisman, Pamela D. Frasch, Kathy M. Hessler

The Animal Law nutshell is a study aid that provides an overview of animal law. Topics include, but are not limited to, anti-cruelty laws, torts, industrial and agricultural uses of animals, and property.

Animal Law Review is the nation’s oldest law journal devoted entirely to legal issues relating to animals.

The Animal Legal & Historical Center is a project of the Michigan State University College of Law. This website provides a comprehensive look at animal issues along with legal and policy materials.

Animal law is the combination of statutory and case law that relates to or has impact on nonhuman animals. It encompasses companion animals and wildlife and animals used in entertainment, research, and ones raised for food.
The field of animal law has grown tremendously in recent decades. The rapid expansion of Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapters and animal law courses is one benchmark of that growth. In 2000, there were just 12 student chapters and nine law schools offering courses in animal law; by 2007, those numbers had increased to 99 student chapters and 88 animal law courses. Today, there are almost 200 Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapters and more than 165 law schools in the U.S. and Canada that have offered a course in animal law – and the list continues to grow.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Animal Law Update is a series highlighting legal and policy developments in the rapidly emerging field of animal law.