Even in countries with strong animal welfare laws, significant populations of animals remain without meaningful legal protection.
Legal protection for animals follows taxonomic hierarchies that do not reflect our moral obligations. Mice, who are as sentient as rats (who are protected), are excluded from the Animal Welfare Act because of industry lobbying. Farm animals are excluded from cruelty laws through agricultural exemptions that have no welfare justification. Each exclusion represents millions or billions of animals left to suffer without legal recourse.