Displaying items by tag: The Netherlands

Legal advancements for animals can often come at a painfully slow pace. But last week, we couldn’t help but notice how many wins and promising animal law-related news items kept coming in. Here are a few of the highlights:

Think it’s impossible to stand up for animals at the voting booth? You may wish to reconsider. From politicians who vocally support strong animal protection legislation, to citizen-directed animal protection initiatives presented directly to the voting public, opportunities for putting the ballot to work to improve the lives of animals abound. Public discourse around animals and politics is also becoming more frequent, as illustrated by a recent conference in Bristol. There’s even a fully funded Ph.D. program that welcomes a concentration on the political representation of nonhuman interests.

We at AAP Rescue Centre for Exotic Animals were very happy to see the new Dutch Positive List for mammals coming into force on the 1st of February. After 22 years of campaigning together with other animal welfare organizations, it is a huge milestone.

World Animal Net is pleased to share the news that three EU Member States have issued a joint declaration to improve animal welfare through a number of means. In the declaration, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands have agreed to pool their activities to improve animal welfare, and “urge the EU Member States and European Commission to acknowledge the need for better regulation, better animal welfare, and to promote awareness, EU-standards and knowledge.”

As 2014 comes to a close, we at WAN recognize that there is much work to do to make the world a better place for animals in 2015 and beyond – see our Twelve Wishes for 2015. At the same time we are thrilled to celebrate tremendous victories for animals in all corners of the globe. Many of these victories came about after the tireless efforts of the animal protection community that we are dedicated to serving. Our top picks are below: