A new group on campus is aiming to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. Student Animal Legal Defence Fund (SALDF) is the student branch of the international organisation the Animal Legal Defence Fund, a non-profit group devoted to enhancing the welfare and legal status of animals.
SALDF intends to advocate the addition of animal law courses to the Law School curriculum, and host speakers, debates, panels, and conferences. Additionally, it will encourage members to write law review articles for journals dedicated to animal law, campaign on campus to raise awareness about animal issues, and volunteer to do legal research for local law firms.
“SALDF chapters are an instrumental part of a growing national movement towards recognising the important body of law known as animal law,” explains Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells. Issues such as factory farming, whaling, and animal cruelty sentencing are very topical in the media and politics. Increasing numbers of Law students and attorneys are looking to use their degrees to protect and advance the interests of animals, and to recognise that, despite animals’ legal categorisation as “property,” there are special relationships between humans and animals that the law should account for. Wells points out that “SALDF chapters are in a unique position to powerfully advocate for changing laws to better protect animals.”
The first Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) chapter was established in 1992 at Lewis & Clark Law School in the US. Otago Law School has become the 151st chapter, and the only one in the Southern Hemisphere. So far, the Otago SALDF has nearly forty members, and anyone else interested in joining should contact Danielle at otagosaldf@gmail.com.
For more information, visit aldf.org
Finally, justice for the puppies.
