Atypical Animal Cruelty Cases

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.