«The Earth belongs to EVERYONE!» «The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated» Mahatma Gandhi

ANIMAL RIGHTS

Universal Declaration of Animal Rights were announced in UNESCO centre in Paris on 15 th September 1978. The same declaration were editted by Union of Animal Rights in 1989 and presented to General Director of UNESCO and it was announced to public in 1990.

All animals are born equally and have the equal RIGHTS to live.

Any of animals shouldn’t be treated bad or cruelly.

Wild animals have the RIGHTS to live and breed in their natural environment.

Animals which are used for works have the RIGHTS to qualified the working time,to get the suitable food and to have a rest.

Animals shouldn’t be used for the entertainment or games Animals shouldn’t be used for the entertainment or games. Having animals to watch or making a show with animals are contrary to animal honour and unethical.

Associations of Animal Protection should be represented as a part of Government. Animal Rights should be under protection by laws as the human rights.

Violence scenes that animals are killed should be forbidden.

All animals which need supports of human beings have the RIGHTS to get the sufficient food and to get the suitable keeping.

The experiments on animals that causes physical or psychological sufferings are the violation of animal rights.

ANIMAL RIGHTS ON THE WORLD AUSTRIA: Austria has one of the most strict laws about animal rights. According to these laws accepted in 2004,it is agreed that animals are the creatures under the responsibility of humans and have the same equivalance with humans Having animals to feel pain or fear are prohibited In case of violation of these laws,according to the extent/importance of the crime, a fine (money punishment) or prison sentence to 1 year are given.

SWITZERLAND: At a federal level,Switzerland has made animal welfare a priority.The first law about animal rights were admitted in 1842 in Switzerland. Switzerland supports the idea that animals are the creatures that feel like humans. In 1844,they established the first association of animal welfare. It is the country that noted animals as constitutional in 1992. In 2005,it was forbidden that vertebrate animals shouldn’t carry more weights than they can. In 2014,Switzerland got the highest point(A) in the protection of animal rights and index of animal welfare. In 2016,selling cosmetic products which animals are used in were prohibited. They have started the studies to reduce the experiments on animals «The one who is cruel to animals is not a good person» Arthur Schopenhauer

The UK-ENGLAND The United Kingdom was the first country in the world to implement laws protecting animals. In 1822 an Act to Prevent the Cruel and Improper Treatment of Cattle was passed by Parliament The UK government has stated that animals are sentient beings The first general animal protection law, called the Protection of Animals Act, was introduced in 1911 and updated several times since. The Animal Welfare Act,replacing the Protection of Animals Act, came into force in England and Wales in 2007. They have strict laws on animals.They can give a fine (money punishment)to 20.000 pounds and prison punishment to 51 weeks It isn’t easy to open a petshop or buy a pet from a petshop.

ANIMAL RIGHTS IN TURKEY The Animal Protection Laws were accepted on 24th June 2004 in Turkey. Animal rights are arranged by the law numbered 5199.According to this law,all animals are equal and have the rights to live.In Turkish animal welfare laws,the phrase ‘’sentient creatures’’ isn’t mentioned. The most attractive notice is there is no prison punishment for the violation of animal rights.The lawbreaker can give a fine(money punishment) instead of going to prison.

TURKEY Before adopting animals ,you should go to educational programmes/courses about animals.It is mentioned so but……. And you have to give information about your adopting process and your animal to local government.But….. There are also some precautions and obligations for petshops and getting animals from petshops according to laws. The ministry of Foresty is responsible for controlling the petshops in Turkey.

Some Good Examples In a city of Turkey named Mersin,by the organization of the Ministry of Foresty and Water Affairs and some associations about animals and environment,a project was hold for «partridges»( a wild bird species) and wild animals to increase the numbers and protecting the population of them. 2 tons of animal feed were left to the territory

What should we do ? Being cruel to animals is not a feature of a human.On the other hand it is a crime on terms of laws.We should warn the lawbreakers and complain to legal authorities. We should feed our animals on time. We should take them to a vet regularly. We shouldn’t destroy the nest of ants and birds.We shouldn’t hunt them. (If you do,please hunt them during the hunting season) We shouldn’t make animals frightened and behave them bad. You should be really careful about keeping animals at home