Court Cases Redefine Animals As Victims

In two recent landmark rulings advocating for animals’ rights, the Oregon Supreme Court granted animals some rights formerly reserved for humans.  Individuals in Oregon are now expected to face harsher sentences for animal abuse or neglect, according to the court.  The verdict came after two cases. In the first case, Arnold Nix was convicted of 20 counts of second degree animal neglect after police found dozens of starving horses and goats on his property.  This was a step forward in that the 20 animals were counted individually as separate “victims,” instead of lumped together as one. 

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Five Animals That Are a Lot Smarter Than You Think

The Oregon Supreme Court this month issued two landmark rulings that gave animals protections previously reserved for humans. Now police can intervene without a warrant to save an abused or neglected animal from its owner. Animal abusers are also subject to harsher punishments.  “As we continue to learn more about the interrelated nature of all life, the day may come when humans perceive less separation between themselves and other living beings than the law now reflects,” wrote Oregon Justice Martha Lee Walters in one of the decisions. “However, we do not need a mirror to the past or a telescope to the future to recognize that the legal status of animals has changed and is changing still.”

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