Animal Welfare’s Criminal Protection

Animal protection is not a new question. Since the Age of Enlightenment, philosophers like Bentham and Descartes start the beginning of Animal protection. Now, western countries have two schools on Animal protection. One is Animal Rights Theory, the other is Animal Welfare Theory. These theories are not stop in theory, instead, some of those theories have been admired by law. Base on those theories, western countries established a complete law system to protect Animal Welfare. The action of abuse animal or other kind of against animal welfare could face the punishment from Criminal law.In recent years, more and more people star to concern about the Animal Welfare protection. To love animals and re spect the most basic right to life, not only to cultivate good social ethos, bringing tangible economic benefits, but also can make interests to the harmony of man and nature, meet the needs of social sustainable development. Look from the development tren d of the world, people for the ethical treatment of animals, advocating animal welfare is direction of development of the international animal protection society. However, China didn ?t do enough in protecting animal welfare. In reality aspects,1. Animal welfare in China is facing a crisis. Animal abuse cases have been increased on the whole, and become more and more cruel and inhuman. 2, Animal protection has always been considered behind. Animal welfare in China didn?t draw enough attention for a long time, a large part of people’s philosophy with animal protection still stays in the first industrial revolution, follow the old logic of classical anthropocentrism which is totally ignore the animal welfare. In legal aspects 1.Our law only protect W ild animals, we choose to ignore other animal such as Companion animals or Experimental animals and so on.2.The performed of our law is not good enough,Illegal hunting,illegal selling still exist and keeping on. The author thinks that, if we want to fundam entally reverse this trend, we must abandon the existing classical theory of anthropocentrism, admit animal welfare, and follow the relevant countries make some behaviors of seriously invading animal welfare facetheadjustment of the criminal law.