Animal Law

Animal law is a dynamic field of legal inquiry and may involve issues relating to tort law, property law, criminal law, family law, contract law, environmental law and more. This course will introduce students to a broad range of laws that affect animals by investigating historical and current issues in animal law. Students will critically analyze how animal law works in practice by examining case law, policies and legislation and as substantive law is examined, students will consider companion, farm and wild animals and their status under Canadian and international laws. Students will engage in fundamental questions about non-human animals, law and society such as: What are the conceptual and legal differences between ‘animal rights’ and ‘animal welfare’? ‘Why are some animals highly valued while others are not?’