Description: The Member Nations of the World Assembly:
Recognizing that animals are sentient beings capable of experiencing stress, fear, and pain;
Convinced that there is no just cause for intentionally abusing an animal, and that animals should be cared for in ways that support a healthy life free from suffering;
Resolved that animal abuse is utterly unjustifiable and should be universally condemned and prohibited;
Now, therefore, the General Assembly hereby enacts the following provisions, subject to the rules and laws set by earlier WA resolutions that are still in force:
1.
Defines an "animal" for the purposes of this resolution as any non-person species of mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, or fish.
2.
Prohibits the intentional abuse of animals, including:
- causing an animal serious and debilitating bodily disfigurement;
- inflicting physical trauma or intense pain on an animal;
- recklessly abandoning an animal or otherwise placing the animal at grave risk of death, injury, disfigurement or disease;
- torturing an animal;
- sexually assaulting an animal; and
- maliciously or cruelly killing an animal;
3.
Clarifies that the following acts do not constitute abuse and are not prohibited by this resolution:
- acts of veterinary medicine - including the acts of a licensed veterinarian taken in the course of caring for an animal, emergency aid provided to an animal in distress, and any other acts based on sound veterinary science;
- animal research that is conducted for a legitimate scientific purpose and does not needlessly inflict pain or suffering;
- butchering, slaughtering, or killing an animal for food or other consumption, so long as the methods used are not cruel and the animal is killed as swiftly and painlessly as possible;
- acts of pest control, including any reasonable method of dealing with pests that is not unnecessarily cruel,
- the employment of properly trained animals in potentially dangerous situations or occupations - such as law enforcement animals, guard dogs, war horses, and other service animals - so long as the animal is adequately handled for use in such situations and the intent is to avoid harm to the animal,
- acts based on the science of animal breeding and appropriate care;
4.
Outlaws the use of animals in fighting sports, or any other exhibition where the purpose, theme, or substance of the exhibition endangers the long term health and safety of the animal;
5.
Requires that any person who keeps an animal - whether commercially, as a pet, or for any other purpose - must provide that animal with reasonable and appropriate care, including:
- food of appropriate quantity and quality to keep the animal healthy,
- access to a sufficient quantity of clean water to satisfy the animal's needs,
- sufficient space for exercise as necessary for the health of the animal,
- regular maintenance of the animal's space to keep it reasonably free of debris, waste, and disease, if the animal is kept in an enclosure,
- shelter, refuge, or other appropriate protective barriers that supply reasonable protection from weather and injury, and
- adequate personal attention and care necessary to keep the animal free from distress, injury, neglect and disease;
6.
Further requires that any person who keeps an animal must, to the best of their means and ability, provide the animal with access to professional veterinary care deemed necessary to relieve the animal from distress, injury, neglect or disease.
