Irina Knopp
As a Russian-American, I am familiar with the culture that values expensive furs and leather boots well above the rights of the animals used to make the products. The furs are a status symbol and an asset. Leather is used because it’s more durable and reliable, a leftover of the Soviet Era when a month’s salary would buy you a pair of leather boots-if they were in stock. With such a love of animal products and until recently, a surprising disregard for the welfare of animals, it is no wonder that Russia has been notoriously slow to develop anti-animal cruelty legislation, falling far behind the EU and the United States. However, over the last decade small changes have started setting a trend of animal protection. For example, in 2007 legislation was put forth to protect small forest animals such as hedgehogs from being hunted or having their habitats deliberately damaged.
Filed under: animal cruelty, animal ethics, animal law | Tagged: animal abuse, animal cruelty, animal ethics, animal law, animal suffering, animal welfare, dog fighting, Russia, Russian Animal Law | 3 Comments »
Animal Blawg 