Switzerland, where flushing goldfish down the toilet is illegal, is preparing to vote on whether abused animals deserve lawyers.
Published: 7:00AM GMT 05 Mar 2010
Legal representation in cases involving mistreated animals has been compulsory since 1992 in the Zurich canton. But pet politics could be taken to a new level if voters extend the right to the other 25 mini-states.
"It is not about Paris Hilton's dog now needing a lawyer to represent its interests," said Antoine Goetschel, Switzerland's only lawyer mandated by his canton in Zurich to handle animal welfare cases.
It is about protecting animals who are harmed by the very people who are meant to take care of them, said Mr Goetschel who is "very happy" about the referendum debate.
The quirky lawyers-for-animals poll is a new example of Switzerland's "direct democracy" in which any citizen who collects 100,000 signatures from eligible voters can force a nationwide referendum on their chosen cause.
Among the 50 cases Mr Goetschel is dealing with at the moment is one of a horse that was stabbed 30 times before it died.
Past cases of zoophilia include a person who kept 150 cats but could not take care of them.
"The animal welfare attorney is such a visionary and wise instrument because the animal has a voice in criminal procedures against the person who usually has the responsibility for it," he noted.
The problem is that the animal has "no rights", unlike humans who can prosecute the person who has caused harm, said Mr Goetschel.
Environment groups, the Green and Socialist parties are supporting the initiative. But the government, parliament and the country's biggest party, the far-right Swiss People's Party, are against.
The strongest opposition is in the countryside. "It will generate too much bureaucracy," complained Urs Schneider, spokesman for the Swiss Farmers' Union. "Switzerland already has existing laws to protect animals," he said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7373154/Switzerland-to-vote-on-appointing-lawyers-for-abused-pets.html
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