During the time from October 5 to 8, 2007, Antoine F. Goetschel and Gieri Bolliger represented the “Stiftung für das Tier im Recht” at the 11th world congress of the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organization (IAHAIO) in Tokyo. The convention was inaugurated by prince Akishino (Fumihito) and aroused great interest among the media. More than 1200 participants attended this event.

Sexuality with animals (zoophilia) has always been an element of human culture and it remains a far more widespread phenomenon than generally assumed. While zoophilia was severely penalized on ethical and religious grounds for centuries, the age of enlightenment led to more rational views on this topic and consequently milder punishment until finally the sanctions were lifted in most countries.

On February 1, an international meeting on animal welfare law in the European Union and its member states was held in Brussels. On this occasion, the Stiftung für das Tier im Recht had the honor of speaking about the importance of the introduction of animal welfare on a constitutional level.