Animal rights by country or territory
As of November 2019, 32 countries have formally recognized non-human animal sentience.
These are: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
[citation needed] The Great Ape Project is currently campaigning to have the United Nations endorse a World Declaration on Great Apes, which would extend to non-human great apes the protection of three basic interests: the right to life, the protection of individual liberty, and the prohibition of torture.
[citation needed] In 2009, Bolivia became the first country to banish animal abuse and harm in circuses.
[1] The United States of America is the only country in the world that has banned killing horses for consumption,[citation needed] and India have banned killing cows for consumption in some of its states.
World laws on battery cages
Nationwide ban on battery cages
Some subnational bans on battery cages
Nationwide phaseout of battery cages in progress
Battery cages legal
No data
Nationwide ban on beak trimming
Some subnational bans on beak trimming
Beak trimming legal
No data
Ban on all chick culling
Grinding chicks illegal, gassing chicks legal
Planned ban on all chick culling
Chick culling legal, no ban planned
No data
Countries and regions that ban foie gras production
Main foie gras-producing countries and regions
[
6
]
[
7
]
[
8
]
Stunning not required
Post-cut stunning required
Simultaneous stunning required
Pre-cut stunning required
Ritual slaughter banned
No data
IWC states
that ban whaling (since 1986)
IWC states with aboriginal whaling
IWC states with commercial whaling
Non-IWC states with aboriginal whaling
Non-IWC states with commercial whaling
Non-IWC states without whaling
Nationwide ban on all cosmetic testing on animals
Partial ban on cosmetic testing on animals
1
Ban on the sale of cosmetics tested on animals
No ban on any cosmetic testing on animals
Unknown
1
some methods of testing are excluded from the ban or the laws vary within the country
Nationwide ban on bullfighting
Nationwide ban on bullfighting, but some designated local traditions exempted
Some subnational bans on bullfighting
Bullfighting
without
killing bulls in the ring legal (Portuguese style or 'bloodless')
Bullfighting with killing bulls in the ring legal (Spanish style)
No data
Nationwide ban on cockfighting
Nationwide ban on cockfighting, but some designated local traditions exempted
Some subnational bans on cockfighting
Cockfighting legal
No data
Nationwide ban on dog fighting
Some subnational bans on dog fighting
Dog fighting legal
No data
Nationwide ban on dolphinariums/marine mammal captivity
De facto nationwide ban on dolphinariums/marine mammal captivity due to strict regulations
Some subnational bans on dolphinariums/marine mammal captivity
Dolphinariums/marine mammal captivity are currently being phased out ahead of a nationwide ban
Dolphinariums/marine mammal captivity legal
No data
Nationwide ban
Ban on import/export
No ban
Unknown
^
certain animals are excluded or the laws vary internally
Goose pulling discontinued; live goose pulling until 20th century
Dead goose pulling; live goose pulling banned in 20th century
Dummy and dead goose pulling; local bans on dead goose pulling in 21st century
Dummy goose pulling; live goose pulling banned in 20th century, dead goose pulling banned in 2019
No data
Signed and ratified
Acceded or succeeded
Only signed
Not signed (CoE member states)
Not signed (non-CoE member states)
Denounced in favour of 2003 revised convention
Signed and ratified
Acceded or succeeded
Only signed
Not signed (CoE member states)
Not signed (non-CoE member states)
Signed and ratified
Acceded or succeeded
Only signed
Not signed (CoE member states)
Not signed (non-CoE member states)
Signed and ratified
Acceded or succeeded
Only signed
Not signed (CoE member states)
Not signed (non-CoE member states)
Signed and ratified
Acceded or succeeded
Only signed
Not signed (CoE member states)
Not signed (non-CoE member states)
Signed and ratified
Acceded or succeeded
Only signed
Not signed (CoE member states)
Not signed (non-CoE member states)
Signed and ratified
Acceded or succeeded
Only signed
Not signed (CoE member states)
Not signed (non-CoE member states)
