Global Animal Law - GAL

18/09/2026

Tomorrow, our Founder and President Dr. Antoine F. Goetschel speaks at the conference "Animal Law and Policy: Integrating Protection with Practice", hosted by the Animal Welfare Club (AWC) at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria.

Dr. Goetschel — the world's first officially appointed Animal Attorney — will discuss how animal protection can move from legal principle into practical policy, drawing on more than 30 years of experience in Swiss and international animal law.

A great opportunity to connect animal law communities across continents.

📅 19 September, 3pm WAT
🔗 https://www.globalanimallaw.org/news/2026/goetschel-speaks-university-of-ilorin-nigeria.html

06/08/2026

GAL in Riga 😊

Šobrīd Latvijas Saeimā norisinās diskusijas par grozījumiem Civillikumā, paredzot tajā nostiprināt principu, ka dzīvnieks nav lieta. Ļoti līdzīgas diskusijas pirms vairāk nekā divdesmit gadiem notika arī Šveicē, kur kopš 2022. gada Civillikumā ir noteikts, ka “dzīvnieki nav lie...

28/04/2026

New research shows that 72% of people in the UK would stop eating at restaurants that utilise eggs from lower welfare systems banned in UK, such as conventional battery cages. Despite this, restaurants can still legally utilise imported eggs from systems that fall below UK welfare standards- and most diners have no idea this loophole exists.

The findings accentuate a major gap in transparency and underline the public’s strong support for higher animal welfare standards across the food sector. This is a clear reminder that egal reform on food labelling and sourcing isn’t just an animal welfare issue- it is a public consumer issue too.



Reference: FarmingUK Team (2026). Seven in 10 Brits would avoid restaurants serving lower-welfare eggs. [online] Available at: https://www.farminguk.com/news/seven-in-10-brits-would-avoid-restaurants-serving-lower-welfare-eggs_68257.html

24/04/2026

Colombia has authorised the culling of up to 80 hippos descended from animals illegally imported by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s. The population — all descended from just four individuals — could exceed 1,000 by 2035 if left unchecked, according to authorities.

Environment minister Irene Vélez-Torres says sterilisation efforts over the past decade have been too costly and too limited to make a dent, and that relocating the animals is not viable due to their limited genetic diversity and disease risk. Each hippo consumes around 70 kg of vegetation daily, trampling farmland and displacing native species like the river manatee.

Senator and animal rights activist Andrea Padilla has condemned the cull as cruel, arguing these animals are victims of state negligence, not criminals. Locals who built livelihoods around hippo tourism are also pushing back. Decades of inaction created this crisis and now 80 healthy animals are expected to pay for it with their lives. At GAL, we stand with those fighting for non-lethal solutions, because the lives of animals should never be the easy way out.

22/04/2026

Today is Earth Day, and there's something we often overlook: animals aren't just victims of the climate crisis, they're guardians of the planet.

Caring for the Earth and caring for animals aren't separate causes — they're the same cause. This Earth Day, remember: a more just world for animals is a healthier world for all of us. 🌏 🐝 🐟 🐔 🦊 🐹 🐍 🐙

16/04/2026

Chile is set to establish the Cape Froward National Park at the southernmost tip of the Americas — a move that would complete an 8-million-hectare conservation corridor stretching 2,800 kilometres through Patagonia. The park would protect around 150,000 hectares of subantarctic forests, peatlands, glaciers and coastline.

In November 2025, conservation organisation Fundación Rewilding Chile donated 127,000 hectares of land to the Chilean government, on the condition that the national park be officially created within two years.

14/04/2026

On 1 January 2026, South Korea's bear bile farming industry officially came to an end, after more than 30 years of advocacy by animal welfare organisations. rom that date, the ownership, breeding, and trade of bears and bear bile is prohibited, with violations carrying prison sentences of up to five years.

Bear farming began in South Korea in the early 1980s, with farmers importing Asiatic black bears — known as moon bears — from Malaysia and Southeast Asia, keeping them in small, barren cages their entire lives for use in traditional medicine and luxury products.

But the ban doesn't mean all bears are safe yet. Around 199 bears remain on 11 farms across the country, while disputes over compensation to farmers have delayed their transfer to sanctuaries. The government's existing sanctuary can only hold up to 49 bears, and a second facility planned for 2024 has been pushed back to 2027 due to flooding. Animal welfare groups are calling for bigger, better-funded sanctuaries and urging the government to act faster.

10/04/2026

Tunnel-shaped shelters made from durable plastic and insulating materials have been installed in parks, under bridges, and other spots where strays seek refuge across Hungarian cities

These shelters absorb and store solar energy during the day, then release it overnight — keeping the inside up to 15°C warmer than the freezing outdoors, with no electricity or fuel needed.

In just the first weeks of deployment, over 50 tunnels attracted hundreds of strays, leading to a noticeable drop in hypothermia cases and emergency interventions.

What started as rural pilots in 2023 has now grown into a full urban rollout backed by EU grants — and neighbouring Eastern European countries are already exploring their own versions.

07/04/2026

Guatemala has decided not to renew its lease on a 7,000-acre oil field inside the Laguna del Tigre Biosphere Reserve — one of the most biodiverse areas in the Americas, where Mesoamerican wildlife roams freely across Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico as part of the greater Mayan Biosphere Reserve.

A combination of pollution from oil operations, sustained low oil prices, and illegal activity inside the reserve led the government to conclude extraction was no longer viable. The land will now be handed over for conservation and security purposes.

The Ministry of National Defense and the National Civil Police will occupy the former oil field — known as Campo Xan — to crack down on illegal cattle ranching, farming, and logging, while also establishing a cross-border policing programme with Mexico and Belize.

President Arévalo, who ran on a platform of ecological protection and indigenous rights, framed it as a reclaiming of national territory. Environment Minister Patricia Orantes was direct: "We must conserve the Maya Forest for the good of Guatemalans and for the world."

04/04/2026

Reptiles are widely used in global trade, yet their welfare is often neglected. Chapter 7.14 of the World Organisation for Animal Health Code brings attention to the need for species-specific, science-based approaches when killing reptiles for commercial use. Ensuring proper handling, trained personnel, and effective stunning methods is essential to reduce suffering in these industries.