Animal Law Reform South Africa

23/06/2026

🎉 WELCOMING A NEW MEMBER TO THE ALRSA TEAM! ⚖️🐔🌍

We are excited to welcome Dr Tarryn Bannister to Animal Law Reform South Africa (ALRSA) as our new Lawyer & Programme Lead for our Corporate Accountability Programme. In this role, Tarryn will lead ALRSA’s corporate accountability work, which is currently focused on driving change within the South African egg industry including to promote better animal treatment, environmental protection and social justice, and ensure greater transparency.

Dr Tarryn Bannister holds BA Law, LL.B, LL.M and LL.D. degrees from Stellenbosch University. She graduated with her LL.B in 2010 and subsequently completed a research-based Master’s degree, cm laude, on the right to have access to health care services for survivors of gender-based violence. In 2016, she completed her doctoral studies, titled “The implications of a relational feminist interpretation of the socio-economic rights of female cohabitants.”

Tarryn’s experience traverses legal practice, corporate compliance, human rights, civil society and higher education. She is passionate about social justice, accountability, and the law’s role in addressing systemic inequality and vulnerability. Building on this foundation, Tarryn’s work has increasingly focused on the intersection of animal protection, environmental justice, and corporate accountability mechanisms that are able to foster a more just and compassionate society.

Throughout her career, Tarryn has worked across a range of sectors and disciplines, bringing a thoughtful and interdisciplinary approach to addressing complex social challenges. Her expertise in accountability mechanisms, rights-based advocacy, and systemic reform aligns strongly with ALRSA’s mission to use the law as a tool for meaningful change.

As ALRSA continues to expand our work in the corporate accountability space, we are thrilled to have Tarryn’s leadership, insight, and experience guiding this important programme. We look forward to the contributions she will make to advancing animal protection and building more responsible, sustainable and equitable food systems.

Welcome to our flock, Tarryn! 🎉

22/06/2026

🐾 FOUNDATIONS OF ANIMAL LAW SHORT COURSE – APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!

Are you interested in animal law? Enrol in the Foundations of Animal Law short learning programme at the University of Johannesburg for the opportunity to deepen your understanding of animal law while building the skills to contribute meaningfully to legal and policy reform that benefits animals, people, and the planet.

Now in its 4th presentation, this pioneering programme was the first animal law course of its kind in South Africa and on the African continent. Co-developed and presented by Animal Law Reform South Africa (ALRSA) co-founders and directors, Professor David Bilchitz and Attorney Amy P. Wilson, the course delves into the legal, ethical, constitutional, and policy dimensions of animal protection in contemporary society, and its implications for people, animals, and the planet.

📚 Programme Highlights:
• Presented fully online via the Moodle e-learning platform
• Consists of approximately 10 evening sessions starting in August 2026
• Features interactive live lectures, case studies and supplementary learning resources
• Includes assessment through written assignments and a final position paper
• A certificate is awarded upon successful completion
• Approved for 28 CPD points by the South African Veterinary Council
• Key topics include animal rights, animal welfare, legal frameworks, environmental connections, global regulations, and more!

🎓 Who Should Apply?
• Legal professionals and law students interested in animal law
• Professionals working with animals (veterinarians, industry, others)
• Activists, advocates, members of the public with a passion for animal protection
• Academics and practitioners looking to expand their expertise

📋 Admission Requirements: National Senior Certificate or NQF Level 4 equivalent qualification

📅 Applications for 2026 close on 17 July 2026

🔗 For detailed information visit:https://www.uj.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/slp-animal-law-_-a5-brochure-_-mar-2026-_-web-_-2.pdf

For enquiries, contact [email protected] or call 011 559 3739

15/06/2026

COMPASSION OVER CARGO & BAN LIVE EXPORTS INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS DAY

Yesterday, 14 June, marked Ban Live Exports International Awareness Day - an opportunity to confront the cruel conditions endured by millions of animals transported on long-distance journeys for slaughter at their destination.

Live export by sea is one of the most overlooked yet severe forms of industrial animal exploitation. Animals are subjected to prolonged confinement, overcrowding, extreme weather, inadequate ventilation, dehydration, hunger, and disease over journeys that can last weeks. The harms extend beyond the animals themselves, raising serious concerns about worker safety, environmental impact, and biosecurity risks, among others.

Despite this, the practice remains improperly regulated. South Africa’s 2023 Live Export Guidelines are non-binding and unenforceable. Draft regulations published in 2025 (which are yet to be finalised) are fundamentally inadequate and, in key respects, represent a step backwards from the already insufficient guidelines. The practice exists alongside the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962, which makes it a criminal offence to convey and carry animals in conditions affording inadequate shelter, ventilation, food, water, and rest, or in conditions that cause animals unnecessary suffering.

But globally, the tide is turning. New Zealand, the UK, and Australia have banned or are phasing out live export by sea; India has imposed port restrictions; and Brazil has seen legal efforts to prohibit the practice entirely.

Through our project, ALRSA is working to bring this issue more prominently into public view. Because when sentient beings are treated as mere cargo, society has a responsibility to ask questions, and act. It is time to move toward meaningful reform for people, animals, and the planet.

Over the coming months, we will share more about the work we have done and continue to do, and take you along as we explore the realities of live animal export and the questions it raises around animal protection, environmental responsibility, social justice, transparency, and accountability.

08/06/2026

🌊 WORLD OCEANS DAY - 8 JUNE 2026

💡 Today, 8 June 2026 is World Oceans Day. The 2026 theme “REIMAGINE: Beyond the world we know, a new relationship with our ocean” invites us to reflect on how we interact with, govern, and depend upon our oceans, and to envision a future in which marine ecosystems and those who inhabit them, are considered and protected.

🐟 Our oceans are essential to life on Earth, supporting extraordinary biodiversity, regulating the climate, and sustaining ecosystems - yet, as humans, we cause great harm to them and their inhabitants. As pressure on marine environments continues to grow, "aquaculture" - the farming of fishes and other aquatic animals, (as well as aquatic plants) - is increasingly promoted as a solution for food security and economic growth. However, the rapid expansion of aquaculture (including in Africa) raises critical concerns about aquatic animal treatment, environmental sustainability, biodiversity loss, water quality, disease management, and broader ecosystem health (among others).

🐙 Despite the aquaculture industry’s scale, the well-being and protection of aquatic animals are often overlooked in laws, policies, and public discourse. As societies reconsider their relationship with nonhuman animals and the natural world, it is vital that efforts to protect our oceans include safeguarding aquatic animals, recognising their sentience and unique capabilities, and establishing robust governance and legal protections to prevent harmful practices from becoming entrenched within food production systems.

⚖️ Achieving a sustainable future requires healthy marine ecosystems, transparent governance, and compassionate, responsible food systems that respect people, animals, and the planet. At Animal Law Reform South Africa, we are working to do that through our Programmes and Projects seeking to protect Aquatic Rights.

🐬 May World Oceans Day serve as a reminder that reimagining our relationship with the ocean means moving beyond viewing marine life through the lens of human use and benefit, and towards a future in which aquatic animals, ocean ecosystems, and ecological integrity are valued and protected in their own right.

04/06/2026

🐟 ALRSA AT THE INAUGURAL INTERNATIONAL AQUACULTURE LAW & POLICY SYMPOSIUM

Animal Law Reform South Africa (ALRSA) is excited to be participating in the inaugural International Aquaculture Law & Policy Symposium, taking place on 5 June 2026 at the University of Birmingham in England.

Presented by the Center for Animal Law Studies, in collaboration with co-hosts Aquatic Life Institute and the Multispecies Collective, the symposium brings together experts, scholars, and practitioners to explore key issues and emerging trends in the rapidly evolving field of industrial animal aquaculture law and policy.

ALRSA’s ED, Amy P Wilson, will be presenting on the Emerging Issues in Industrial Animal Agriculture panel alongside other incredible speakers Dr Tom Appleby (Head of Governance and Legal Affairs, Blue Marine Foundation), Abigail Penny (Executive Director, Animal Equality UK), and Tessa Gonzalez (Director of Research and Impact, Aquatic Life Institute), with her presentation titled “Uncharted Waters: Navigating Emerging Frontiers in Aquaculture, Alternatives & Aquatic Futures”.

The panel will examine developments and opportunities to challenge the rapidly evolving aquaculture industry, as well as legal, ethical, and policy implications of emerging topics including the role of marine protected areas, rise of alternative protections, and role of AI in aquaculture.

More information about the event is available at: https://law.lclark.edu/centers/animal_law_studies/aquaculture-symposium/2026/.

03/06/2026

⚖️ EXTENDED CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – JABULA Animal Law Moot Court Competition 🦁

Are you a postgraduate or final-year law student enrolled at a South African university?

There is still time for you to apply to participate in the upcoming Animal Law Moot Court examining legal issues related to the commercial captive predator industry.

This event will be of particular interest to you if you are curious about animal law, environmental justice, constitutional litigation, and the role of law in regulating human–animal relationships.

Participating in the moot is an excellent opportunity to develop your oral and written advocacy skills, engage with pressing contemporary legal issues, and connect with fellow law students and legal professionals from across the country!

🗓️ Dates: 17–18 September 2026
📍 Venue: Law Department, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
📄 Application form: Link in bio
✅ Applications close: 5 June 2026

Participation is free of charge, and the competition will be held in person. However, successful applicants will be required to self-fund their travel and accommodation.

Read more and apply: https://bloodlions.org/moot-application

29/05/2026

🌱ALRSA PARTICIPATES IN WORLD HUNGER DAY ROUNDTABLE: WHY ANIMAL PROTECTION IS A FOOD JUSTICE ISSUE

Yesterday, on World Hunger Day, Paula Knipe (Lawyer: Food Systems and Farmed Animals Programme) participated in a Roundtable discussion hosted by the Centre of Excellence in Food Security and the Union Against Hunger, bringing together researchers, civil society organisations, community representatives, and other stakeholders to discuss the future of South Africa’s food system.

The discussion highlighted the importance of addressing hunger and food-system inequality through a broader social-justice lens.

ALRSA contributed to discussions on:
🌱The right to food and animal protection in South Africa
🌱The interconnected harm of industrial food systems on people, animals, and the planet
🌱Corporate concentration and the need for more transparent and accountable food governance
🌱Inclusive participation in food system decision-making, and
🌱Opportunities for more equitable, ethical, and sustainable food futures

The Roundtable also created valuable opportunities for engagement with small-scale farmers, fishers, community leaders, and fellow researchers working across food justice spaces.
These conversations are critical. Reimagining food systems requires collaboration and collective responsibility across disciplines, sectors, and social movements.

We look forward to continuing these discussions through future advocacy, research, and engagement.

27/05/2026

🌱FOOD JUSTICE WEEK 2026: REIMAGINING FOOD SYSTEMS: JUSTICE FOR PEOPLE, ANIMALS, AND THE PLANET

This week, as part of Food Justice Week (25-30 May 2026), Animal Law Reform South Africa (ALRSA) joins organisations, activists, researchers, legal practitioners, and communities in reflecting on one urgent question: What would a truly just food system look like?

Led by the Union Against Hunger (UAH), ahead of World Hunger Day on 28 May 2026, under the theme “Food and Dignity in South Africa - End Hunger Now”, this initiative seeks to amplify important conversations on the right to food, including hunger, malnutrition, inequality, sustainability, and the future of food governance in South Africa.

At ALRSA, we believe these conversations must also address the treatment of animals and the assurance of their protection within the food system. Food justice and animal justice are often treated as separate issues, yet industrial food systems affect people, animals, and the environment in deeply interconnected ways - shaping labour conditions, public health, market access, consumer transparency, environmental sustainability, access to nutritious food, and the suffering of billions of animals.

As we reflect on World Hunger Day this week, here are examples of five things we need to rethink about how food is produced, regulated, and governed:

🌱Hunger is not simply caused by food scarcity: South Africa produces enough food, yet millions still experience hunger and malnutrition due to inequality, poverty, concentrated market power, and barriers to access.

🌱Industrial food systems often externalise social and environmental harms onto the most vulnerable: including workers, communities, women, and animals.

🌱Women bear disproportionate burdens within the food system: including higher rates of food insecurity, malnutrition, unpaid care responsibilities, and gendered impacts linked to nutrition and household food access. Female animals within industrial farming systems are also disproportionately exploited for reproductive and productive purposes.

🌱Food choices are shaped by systems, not only by individual choices: Affordability, access, industry narratives, advertising, social norms, and legal and regulatory gaps all influence consumer behaviour and public understanding of food.

🌱 Food justice requires both individual and systemic reform: grounded in transparency, accountability, inclusive governance, and support for more equitable, ethical, and sustainable food futures.

Reimagining food systems means recognising that the well-being and flourishing of people, animals, and the planet are deeply interconnected.

You can read more about ALRSA’s work and submissions on food systems governance: https://www.animallawreform.org/our-work/

21/05/2026

LET THEM ROAM – JUDGMENT RESERVED

The hearing in the Pretoria High Court has now concluded, and judgement in the matter concerning Lammie, Ramadiba and Mopane has been reserved.

Over the past three days, the Court heard detailed legal arguments and expert evidence in this historic case brought by Animal Law Reform South Africa, the EMS Foundation and Chief Stephen Fritz.

We now await the Court’s decision.

We extend our deepest gratitude to our co-applicants, to the elephant experts from around the world who have contributed their knowledge and support, as well as to our dedicated legal teams from Advocates Group 621 (Anthony Stein, Jessica Griffiths, Ruth Kruger and Faathima Mahomed) and Cullinan & Associates Inc. (Cormac Cullinan, Sarah Kvalsvig, Lesai Seema and Chloë Lead) for their incredible work over the past few years.
We are also grateful for the arguments advanced by the amicus in the case from the Harvard Animal Law & Policy Program.

Thank you to every organisation, supporter and follower who has stood alongside us throughout this journey. Your support has helped shine a light on the lives of these elephants and on the urgent need to rethink captivity and justice for these sentient beings.

We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more. Please continue to share their stories.

For Lammie. For Ramadiba. For Mopane.

20/05/2026

LET THEM ROAM – NEW OP-ED BY ALRSA CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR PROFESSOR DAVID BILCHITZ

The case challenging the confinement of elephants Lammie, Mopane and Ramadiba at the Johannesburg Zoo, brought by Animal Law Reform South Africa (ALRSA) together with the EMS Foundation, and Chief Stephen Fritz, began on 19 May 2026 and is currently before the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.

In a new op-ed, ALRSA co-founder and non-executive director Professor David Bilchitz notes that the elephants are “showing signs of deep distress” and are “living a pale shadow of the life they could have had in the wild.”

The article traces the case to the 2018 death of Kinkel, after which Lammie was left alone. Despite offers for rehabilitation and relocation, the zoo brought in Mopane and Ramadiba.

Contrasting wild elephant life, including roaming, foraging, bathing, and strong family bonds, with confinement in an enclosure “not much bigger than a soccer field,” the article highlights evidence that captivity is especially harmful due to elephants’ intelligence and social complexity. It also questions whether zoos still serve an educational purpose, given modern technology that can better teach children about animals and their natural environments.

The op-ed illustrates that the case raises broader questions about animal protection in South Africa, citing the Constitutional Court’s recognition of animals as sentient beings with intrinsic value, and argues they should not be treated merely “as instruments for human end but as having lives that matter and whose wellbeing must be respected.” It further notes that in refusing to release the elephants, the zoo has not complied with its duties as a public institution to act lawfully and rationally.

The applicants propose a fully funded, expert-supervised relocation process, the feasibility of which is demonstrated by elephant Duma’s transfer from Pretoria Zoo.

Read the full op-ed here: https://www.news24.com/opinions/columnists/opinion-free-lammie-mopane-and-ramadiba-why-joburg-zoo-must-release-its-elephants-20260519-0767



ALRSA is represented by our attorneys Cullinan & Associates Inc. (Cormac Cullinan, Sarah Kvalsvig, Lesai Seema and Chloë Lead) and our team of advocates (Anthony Stein, Jessica Griffiths, Ruth Kruger and Faathima Mahomed).

Conditions at the Johannesburg Zoo are simply inadequate to meet the complex needs of these animals, writes David Bilchitz.