Should animals residing in Switzerland have the right to be represented by a lawyer? Voters will have their say in a national referendum on March 7. Animals in the canton of Zurich have had an “animal advocate” who represents abused animals in court since 2007. If successful, every canton will be forced to appoint one.

The government is opposed. It feels that existing animal welfare laws are sufficient to protect animals from abuse. Farmers and animal breeders fear being buried under red tape. A group called No to the Useless Animal Lawyers’ Initiative says, “Animal rights advocates are useless to animals. They can’t prevent animal abuse because they only get involved after it has been perpetrated.”

Zurich’s animal advocate, Antoine Goetschel, a 50-year-old vegetarian, is enthusiastic about the initiative. "Humans accused of animal cruelty can hire… click here to read whole article and make comments