Even though Switzerland is known for its strict animal welfare laws atrocities against animals still occur such as the the three-week old puppies brought into an animal welfare organisation recently that were emaciated having been starved and kept in a dark garage underground with absolutely no light.

Painting by John Emms portraying two St. Bernards as rescue dogs with brandy barrels around their neck. According to legend, the brandy was used to warm the bodies of trapped people in avalanches or snow before help came.  Credit:  Wikipedia.  This photo is in the public domain.

Swiss animal welfare legislation is one of the tightest in the world.  However the fines and punishments for breeches of the animal protection laws are low and not much of a deterrent for those that are cruel to animals.  One canton has its own state funded animal lawyer, the well known Antoine Goetschel.

Farmers, backed by the Swiss Farmers’ Union were the most vocal against the proposed laws.  Animal rights group ‘Swiss Animal Protection’ who proposed the move claim that many cases of animal cruelty go unpunished.

The public backlash was attributed to the potential cost to the State of lawyers for animals using tax payers dollars.  Switzerland is very attuned to where their tax goes as they receive a breakdown on their statements showing the percentage of tax for particular items such as unemployment benefits.

Legislation in Switzerland states that new dog owners must undergo a course, fish must not have transparent glass on all sides of the tank and that they must have light on and off at the same time as in nature.  Fish must be caught humanely, horses, sheep and goats cannot be tethered, pigs and cows may not be kept on concrete or other hard floors, budgerigars and other social birds and animals must not be kept alone but must have at least one other for company.  Legislation also covers cage sizes allowed for birds.  In Switzerland dogs ride in trains, dine in restaurants and have their own public restrooms!  Dogs are charged half price fares in public buses!

• Read an article on choosing the right sized cage for your bird.
• Links to animal legislation in other countries.
• Australian Government page on Animal Welfare with links to legislation.

Each state and territory government is responsible for its own animal welfare legislation. The Australian Government has no legislative responsibility for this issue but has played a leadership role by coordinating the development and implementation of the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy (the strategy).

The Australian Animal Welfare Strategy sets broad national goals on animal welfare. It also provides a framework for sustainable, scientifically-based improvements in animal welfare.