Guest Lecture by Honjo Moe (Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo), Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies – Japanese Studies, in collaboration with Protecting the Weak and Tier im Recht (TIR), Thursday, December 15, 2016, 16:00–18:00, University of Zurich, Room RAA E-29, Rämistrasse 59, 8001 Zurich

At a media conference today, TIR presented a comprehensive analysis of the Swiss animal welfare-related penal practice of 2015. With 1998 animal welfare-related proceedings conducted during this period, their number has more than tripled over the last ten years and increased more than fivefold in the last 15 years. This proves that the prosecution of animal abuse cases has improved. However, there are still great cantonal discrepancies and a distinct inequality in the treatment of different animal species. This year's analysis focuses on the violation of elementary principles of criminal law within the criminal justice system.

The current awareness-raising campaign by Tier im Recht "Animals as Trash" received a silver award in the category "Social" at the Epica-Awards in Amsterdam. Tier im Recht is delighted to have received this honor and congratulates the advertising agency Ruf Lanz, which designed the campaign, on their great success.

The international EGALS conference "Droit et éthique de l'animal", which took place on October 21 and 22 in Strasbourg, was attended by animal welfare lawyers from all over Europe. A four-person delegation represented Tier im Recht (TIR) at the event and gave a presentation on the legal situation of animals for slaughter in Switzerland.

Tier im Recht (TIR) is proud to present its new, completely revised website on today's World Animal Day. The new www.tierimrecht.org is not only much clearer and more user-friendly than its predecessor but also more modern and interactive. Interested individuals can now find out more easily and quickly about the various aspects of legal animal welfare.

The Stiftung für das Tier im Recht (TIR) is pleased with the newest publication in its series "Schriften zum Tier im Recht". The book "Animal Dignity Protection in Swiss Law – Status Quo and Future Perspectives" was written by Dr. Gieri Bolliger, executive director of TIR, and is the first comprehensive legal work that has been written in English on the concept of animal dignity in Swiss law.

The situation is dramatic for rhinos in Africa: in Zimbabwe alone, dozens of these animals are killed every year. Tier im Recht (TIR) is therefore pleased to hear from the Anti-Poaching and Tracking Specialists (ATS) that they have succeeded in capturing a group of poachers who were responsible for the death of countless animals.

The illegal killing of wild animals and the trade involved has assumed alarming proportions and has brought many species to the brink of extinction. In March 2016, the National Assembly called for stricter criminal sanctions against the illegal trade. Tier im Recht (TIR) welcomes this and urges the buyer and transit countries to better meet their responsibilities.

Looking back on its efforts and achievements for the legal protection of animals since 1996, yesterday, Tier im Recht (TIR) celebrated its 20th anniversary and for the first time awarded the international "TIR Animal Law Award" for outstanding achievements in the field of animal welfare law. The first award winner is the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) at the Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland (Oregon/USA).

Since the beginning of the year, Tier im Recht (TIR) has been working on a new project concerning poaching and the trade in live animals, hunting trophies, and illegally obtained animal products. Last year, TIR explored possible solutions to issues associated with animal and species protection in Kenia and Zimbabwe. Trophy hunting is currently a very controversial topic, particularly since the death of Cecil the lion, which led to increased public awareness on the subject.

The standing committee of the Washington Convention on protected species met from January 11-15, 2016. Around 500 representatives of governments and organizations discussed matters relating to the regulation of the international trade in endangered animal and plant species. Many animal species are endangered or threatened by extinction due to growing international trade in live animals and products thereof.