My furry client bleats not guilty

Switzerland is going to new extremes in the battle to improve life for its animals. The country will hold a referendum in March on whether domesticated creatures should have the right to be represented by lawyers in court.

The Alpine state is rapidly emerging as European champion of animal rights. It recently changed its constitution to protect the “dignity” of plant life and made a law last year establishing rights for creatures such as canaries and goldfish.

If the referendum is approved, every canton in Switzerland will be obliged to appoint a lawyer to act for pets as well as farm animals and defend them from abuse. “Humans accused of animal cruelty can hire a lawyer or get one assigned but animals can’t,” said Antoine Goetschel, a lawyer. “Which is where I come in.”



In 2007 the canton of Zurich appointed him an “animal advocate” in an experiment whose success has encouraged animal welfare groups to mount a campaign for a referendum to create similar officials all over the country. Activists gathered more than the 100,000 signatures required for a national ballot.

The government is against the idea of animal lawyers, as are farmers’ associations and pet breeders, who fear stricter regulation if the motion is approved on March 7. Last week a committee called No to the Useless Animal Lawyers’ Initiative was set up.

“Animal rights advocates are useless to animals,” it said. “They can’t prevent animal abuse because they only get involved after it has been perpetrated.” Goetschel, a 50-year-old vegetarian, disagrees and hopes that the initiative passes with a big “yes”.