Ecuador National Law: rights of non-human animals
In 2022, a draft national law in Ecuador on the rights of non-human animals was formally presented to the National Assembly by Ecuador’s Defensoría del Pueblo.Read More →
Animal
This page identifies ecological jurisprudence initiatives in which the subject of the initiative is an individual animal, an animal species, or animals in general.
Grisons (Switzerland) court case: rights of wolves and children
In 2024, a child took legal action contesting a culling order of wolves in the Canton of Grisons, arguing it violates the rights of nature and the child.Read More →
Bumblebee FOI Request (Switzerland): Federal Chancellery and GS-DETEC
In 2025, an extinct bumblebee (Bombus confusus) filed a Freedom of Information request in Switzerland on the government’s handling of the ecological crisis.Read More →
New Zealand Tohorā Oranga Bill: legal personhood of whales
On 5 February 2026, MP Teanau Tuiono lodged a member's bill, the Tohorā Oranga Bill, in the New Zealand parliament, seeking to give whales inherent rights. Read More →
Berkeley (USA) Resolution: Safe Passage of Whales, Sea Turtles, and Marine Animals
On February 25 of 2025, Councilmember Cecilia Lunaparra, with Councilmember Shoshana O’Keefe as co-sponsor, introduced the Berkeley Whale Safe Passage ResolutRead More →
Alameda (USA) Resolution: Safe Passage of Whales
The Alameda Whale Safe City Resolution was adopted on October 15 of 2024 and establishes the City of Alameda’s formal commitment to supporting the free and saRead More →
Perú National Law: stingless bees a matter of national interest
On 9 January 2025, Peru enacted Law No. 32235, declaring the Native Stingless Bee a matter of national interest and the flora it depends on a national treasure.Read More →
Switzerland Court Case: life of a mouse and foxes crossing a roadway
Whether two foxes or a single mouse, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court ruled that innate human respect for all animal life means protecting, not destroying it.Read More →