Animals and the Law

The subject examines the law as it affects non-human animals and their relations with humans in historical, social and ecological context. The subject covers a range of different ways in which private and public law impact on animals including as property to be owned, potential dangers to be controlled, companions to be shared, having rights and interest to be protected, as workers in a variety of fields and as resources that are used in industry, science and entertainment, as unwanted pests and as inhabitants of the wild, vulnerable to climate change, disaster and biodiversity loss.