| dc.description.abstract | This thesis presents a literature review and legal analysis of animal welfare topics that are not
typically considered when thinking about animal cruelty in day to day life or by law. These
cases include genetic disorders in breeding, obesity, zoophilia, forcing performance and
physical alteration in both Malta and the European Union. The study obtained the professional
opinion of veterinarians around Malta with the help of an online questionnaire. These stated
whether or not these cases are deemed to be cruelty to animals and how often they are witnessed
in the clinics. With the help of this data and with the knowledge of the legal sources available,
a gap was found in European law. No laws can be found about obesity and zoophilia, while
revision of breeding laws is suggested. | en_US |
