The Foundation for the Animal in the Law (TIR) presents selected new additions in its third library newsletter of 2025. The newsletter features books, articles and films on animal-related topics. The current issue focuses on the book ‘Animal – Speak or Die’, a true science thriller about deciphering the language of animals and the question of whether we are prepared to listen to them.

Around 180 participants from all over the world gathered in August at the Summer School of the Centre for Animal Ethics in Oxford. The multi-day event focused on ‘The Ethics of Captivity’. The Foundation for the Animal in the Law (TIR) was represented at the conference by a small delegation and gave a presentation on ‘Animal modifications to captive conditions’.

At the beginning of July, experts from the fields of law, politics, practice and civil society from over 20 countries took part in the conference "Access to Justice for Animals in Europe: Towards an ‘Aarhus Convention’ for Animals?" in Hamburg, at the beginning of July, to engage in in-depth discussions on access to justice for animals in Europe. The event, organised by the AJA (Access to Justice for Animals) research group, took place at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law. The Foundation for Animals in Law (TIR) was represented by a three-member delegation.

In the second issue of the Library Newsletter 2025, the Foundation for the Animal in the Law (TIR) again presents selected new additions such as books, articles and films on animal-related topics. This issue focuses on the publication “Blind Dates - The Big Book of Shark Encounters”. It dispels widespread myths about sharks, provides well-founded facts and shows why fear of these fascinating sea creatures is often unfounded.

Raising calves with their mothers or foster mothers not only benefits animal welfare, but also the health of the calves. Unfortunately, however, there are currently no clear minimum requirements for this more animal-friendly form of husbandry in Switzerland. This leads to competitive disadvantages in agriculture and misleads consumers. Together with the Cowpassion association, the MuKa specialist unit and the global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS, the Foundation for the Animal in the Law (TIR) is calling for the standardisation of so-called MAGKA. The aim is to create transparency and promote genuine animal welfare.

Last Wednesday, the Federal Council passed a ban on the import of fur products produced in a cruel manner as well as a declaration requirement for foie gras products and certain animal foodstuffs obtained abroad using painful procedures without analgesia. The ban on fur imports in particular is a milestone from an animal welfare perspective, which the Foundation for the Animal in the Law (TIR) and other organizations have been working towards for a long time. However, the new regulations also contain significant weaknesses.

In its first library newsletter of 2025, the Foundation for the Animal in the Law (TIR) again presents selected new additions such as books, articles and films on animal-related topics. The current issue focuses on the book ‘The Sounds of Life - The Hidden World of Animals and Plants’, which brings the apparent silence of living organisms to life.

Last week we had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Eva Kempers to our library. The specialist in international animal law, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Antwerp and Junior Research Associate at the Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law spent a few days in our library for research purposes. We are happy to share Eva's impressions of her study visit at TIR here.