Animals in the Colombian Legal System

This chapter analyses the different paradigms in which the Colombian legal system has grounded animal protection. The evolution of the field of animal law in this country is a fascinating one. Few records exist of the consideration of animals before the colonization. As an indigenous country, Colombia did not consider animals as property in the beginning, but rather, there was a holistic understanding where animals, humans, and the rest of nature were a unity. The classification of animals as property has been one that is so deeply ingrained in the legal system that for most, it is challenging to conceive of a country where animals are not subjects of legal transactions. However, in Colombia, animals have been protected from different paradigms, such as animals as part of the environment, which is constitutionally protected, animals as sentient beings, and animals as subjects of rights. The evolution of this field is not necessarily linear, and in some instances, the law and high courts seem to jump around paradigms depending on the type of animal and the activity being regulated. Colombia stands out as one of the more advanced countries in Latin America when it comes to the protection of animals. Does Colombia have a legal framework that effectively protects animals?