The Research Of Pet Animal Protection Legal Issues

With the development of the society and Environmental Science, people realizethat our survival and development is closely related with other species. Animals are notslaves to human, but friends. In the United Kingdom, Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act(Martin’s Act) was passed in1822as an Act to prevent the cruel and improper treatmentof cattle. Then many countries have passed laws and regulations, using legal ways toregulate people’s behaviors, giving animals legal recognition and protection. Treatanimals good, care the animals, human would not only get the healthier food, but alsoenhance the quality of life, get spiritual comfort, embodies the moral progress. Chinaalso issued a series of laws to protect the wild animals and used to animals’ epidemicprevention, but that is not enough. Building the animal welfare system needs some time.First, we should perfect the legal system about management and protection of petanimals.The first part of this paper discusses the reasons to protect pet animal. Thedefinition of pet animal or companion animal is domesticated animals which belong toor be needed by people in some places, especially at homes, with purpose of personalentertainment or accompanying. Some studies showed that pet animals have somespecial effects to human in psychological aspect: people who live with pet animals canget some physiological benefits, while people who ill-treat pet animals make a badinfluence to society. The protection of pet animals should be in first priority. The secondpart summarizes the theories of animal protection. It includes the Chinese traditionalviews on animals of Confucianists, Taoists and Buddhists; the evolution of animalprotection in western countries, including Christianity and science instrument theory,indirect obligation theory, direct obligation theory, animal liberation theory, the theoryof animal rights and animal welfare theory. The animal welfare theory is regarded as theguidance theory in this paper. The third part shows many problems about keeping petanimals in our country, which makes the protection of pet animals important and urgent.The fourth part introduces the legislation and the practice to protect pet animals in EUand Asia, including legal definition of pet animal, the ways of epidemic prevention,purchasing, feeding, traveling and the legal liability of harming pet animals. The lastpart brings some suggestions for management and protection of pet animals in China,including suggestions on the form of legislation, pet animal’s legal status, changing of administrative departments, making full use of the NGOs, and some detailed suggestionon the procedures and methods for epidemic prevention, registration, sheltering andculling.