Animal Rights: Between Idealism and Realism
Inaugural conference of the Center for Animal Rights and the Environment (CARE)
Thursday, 15 January 2026
The Center for Animal Rights and the Environment (CARE) is a research and learning center dedicated to the study of animal rights and their interdependence with human rights and the environment. At CARE, we are concerned with the protection and status of animals in law and society, as well as the manifold interconnections between animal, human, and environmental rights and sustainability. Animal rights law investigates the current legal treatment of animals, the rights that animals (ought to) have, and future legal developments. Contemporary animal law increasingly operates in the context of pressing ecological challenges: zoonoses, climate change, species extinction. These require us to consider the interdependencies between humans, animals, and the environment and to develop new, holistic approaches, such as One Health or One Rights.
Conference chair
Prof. Dr. Saskia Stucki
Director of the Center for Animal Rights and the Environment