Switzerland to Vote on Lawyers for Animals

Swiss voters will go to the polls on Sunday to vote on a referendum that would provide lawyers for animals. If they approve it, and the Swiss government follows suit, every state in Switzerland would appoint a special attorney to pursue abuse cases, Der Spiegel reports. Farmers, hunters, and pet breeders oppose the idea, and have launched a campaign called “No to the Useless Animal Lawyers.”

Zurich already has a lawyer who functions in a similar capacity. He accuses the referendum’s opponents of “mingling fact with fiction and coming up with some disturbing arguments against it.” Even so, he’s “confident that the Swiss population will confirm its sympathy toward animals.” (More animal rights stories.)