Animal Rights

This page identifies initiatives that explicitly recognize an individual animal or species of animal as a subject with rights. Note that all initiatives included in the Animal Rights are also included in the Rights of Nature category, but the reverse is not true.

Gujarat (India) High Court Case: Abdulkadar Mohamad Azam Sheikh v State of Gujarat

Location:Gujarat State, India

Status:Approved in 2010

Legal Provision:Court Case

Nature Type:Animal

In 2010, the High Court of Gujarat in India ruled in favor of a case against the captivity of birds that the court determined constituted curel treatment and viRead More →

Ecuador Court Case: Rights of the Jambato Harlequin Toad

Location:Pujilí, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador

Status:Approved in 2026

Legal Provision:Court Case

Nature Type:Animal

On January 4 2026, the civil court of the Canton of Pujilí ruled in favor of a protective action filed against the Provincial Government of Cotopaxi and the MiRead More →

Citizen Declaration of the Rights and Freedom of Dolphins and Whales

Location:St. Petersburg, Russia

Status:Drafted in 2017

Legal Provision:Civil Society Declaration

Nature Type:Animal, Marine Ecosystem

In November 2017, the Dolphin Embassy drafted the Declaration on the Rights and Freedom of Dolphins and Whales, which was presented to public at the VI InternatRead More →

Loyalty Islands Province Environmental Code 2023: rights of sharks and sea turtles

Location:New Caledonia (France)

Status:Approved in 2023

Legal Provision:Legislation

Nature Type:Animal, Marine Ecosystem

In June 2023, the Loyalty Islands Provincial Environmental Code chapter on protected species was updated, incorporating several articles recognizing rights andRead More →

Argentina court case: rights of Lola the puma

Location:Buenos Aires, Argentina

Status:Approved in 2022

Legal Provision:Court Case

Nature Type:Animal

In July 2022, a criminal court of the City of Buenos Aires declared a puma named Lola Limon to be a "subject of rights." The decision comes after Lola (a six moRead More →

Jeju Island (South Korea) Law: rights of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin

Location:Jeju Island, South Korea

Status:Submitted in 2024

Legal Provision:Legislation

Nature Type:Animal, Marine Ecosystem

A bill recognizing the rights of the Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin was submitted to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province in South Korea in December 2024.Read More →

International Rights of Nature Tribunal, 14th Local Hearing: Serbia 2024

Location:Homolje, Serbia

Status:Approved in 2024

Legal Provision:Civil Society Tribunal

Nature Type:Mountain

In November 2024, the International Rights of Nature Tribunal convened its 14th local hearing on gold mining in Homolje, Serbia and severe ecological damage.Read More →

Switzerland district court case: hunting permits and the rights of wolves

Location:St. Gallen Canton, Switzerland

Status:Failed in 2024

Legal Provision:Court Case

Nature Type:Animal

In 2024, a Swiss citizen filed an appeal against a hunting permit for wolves, claiming the wolves have a right to judicial procedures in their own right.Read More →