Reconceptualizing Animal Welfare in Pakistan: Lessons from the United Kingdom’s Legal Framework

Abstract

Animal welfare has become a major legal and ethical issue across the globe, which represents a change in the understanding of non-human animals. Animals in some countries like the United Kingdom are no longer perceived only as property or economic resources, as they are increasingly being treated as sentient beings that can feel pain and pleasure, and experience fear and psychological distress. This transformation has been influenced by the advances in the animal cognition science, moral philosophy, and the increasing social expectations of compassion and sustainability. These insights have been used in jurisdictions like the United Kingdom to conduct thorough legal reforms that focus on suffering prevention, positive welfare obligations and state responsibility. Conversely, the animal welfare system in Pakistan is still based on the laws of the colonial period especially the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1890. The Act is historically important, but it is anthropocentric in approach, since it gives priority to human interests and economic utility as opposed to animal wellbeing. It is also limited in scope, has poor enforcement mechanisms and suffers a lack of recognition of animal sentience to provide a response to contemporary challenges, such as industrial farming, animal experimentation, urban cruelty, and exploitation of wildlife.