Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan

In February 2021, the team members of the Institute of Animal Law of Asia (IALA), the Managing Director and the Executive Director, have been selected in the inaugural round of the Global Ambassador Program (GAP) for 2021-2022!

Last fall, the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) launched the Global Ambassador Program (GAP), an initiative "to cultivate animal law education and advocacy abroad," "to pioneer animal law education through advocacy and outreach in their home countries," and to develop the animal law field.

On this Page, you will find the external project materials within the GAP that will be focused on educating individuals on animal law and all relevant events that are dedicated to raising awareness about the importance to protect and recognize aquatic animals within the legal system of Kazakhstan.

Photo by Francesco Ungaro from Pexels

Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan

Lu Shegay, our Managing Director, created a project with regard to aquatic animals that aims to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of human activities on aquatic animals and the need to extend legal protections to them. Lu plans to focus on education as a tool to protect animals - organizing webinars and inviting experts from across the globe to share their experience and knowledge about aquatic animals and speak about how the issues of fishing, aquariums, and fish farming are handled within their countries, as well as academic programs within law schools of Kazakhstan.

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We are happy to share our animal law webinar with Andrea Richey, the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Shark Foundation! The event was organized under the Project “Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan.”

In this presentation, Ms. Richey gave an update on the global shark crisis and look at the current status of shark conservation efforts to reduce consumption and change behavior, especially in Hong Kong and the Asia region.

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We are happy to announce our next animal law webinar on Zoom with Andrea Richey, the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Shark Foundation, on January 28th, 2022!

In this presentation, Ms. Richey will give an update on the global shark crisis and look at the current status of shark conservation efforts to reduce consumption and change behavior, especially in Hong Kong and the Asia region.

For the past 30 years, Ms. Richey has lived in Hong Kong and worked for a wide variety of corporate and NGO entities. Since 2015, she has worked and volunteered for the Hong Kong Shark Foundation in many capacities, most recently as the Executive Director raising awareness about shark conservation and educating people to stop eating shark fin soup and all shark products. Before joining Hong Kong Shark Foundation, Ms. Richey was a legal recruiter and previous to that worked for the Wall Street law firm of Paul, Weiss in Hong Kong in a corporate communications/business development capacity. She speaks Mandarin and has lived and worked in both China and Taiwan.

Open and Free to the public. Registration is required, find the link here.

Find more information on our Facebook event page.

We are delighted to share the last pre-recorded animal law webinar in 2021, with David Neale, the Animal Welfare Director at Animals Asia Foundation! The event was organized under the Project “Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan.”

The use of wild animals for display and performance in China and Vietnam continues to rise with the development of many new ocean parks and entertainment facilities displaying animals captured from the wild, this is leading to widespread welfare issues for animals that have been live caught, transported and forced to perform. Many other animals are bred and trained for the terrestrial circus industry and elephant tourism industry causing further welfare issues.

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We are happy to announce our next animal law webinar on Zoom with David Neale, the Animal Welfare Director at Animals Asia Foundation, on December 23rd, 2021!

The use of wild animals for display and performance in China and Vietnam continues to rise with the development of many new ocean parks and entertainment facilities displaying animals captured from the wild, this is leading to widespread welfare issues for animals that have been live caught, transported and forced to perform. Many other animals are bred and trained for the terrestrial circus industry and elephant tourism industry causing further welfare issues. Animals Asia are working collaboratively with government departments and both local and international NGOs to address these pressing welfare issues and to find solutions that work for the animals and the people that rely on these forms of entertainment for their livelihood.

David holds a first degree in Environmental Science and a Master's degree with distinction in Conservation Biology. David leads a series of animal welfare campaigns aimed at improving the welfare of captive wild animals in China and Vietnam, working in partnership with the China Association of Zoological Gardens and government wildlife rescue centers in Vietnam to implement management training initiatives for animal managers and vets and enclosure improvement; leads a campaign to end elephant riding in Vietnam and has established the country’s first ethical elephant tourism experience in partnership with the Yok Don National Park; as well as leads a capacity-building education program to improve the welfare of all animals, develop animal welfare concepts within the teaching curriculum, and humane education initiatives within schools.

Open and Free to the public. Registration is required, find the link here.

Find more information on our Facebook event page.

We are happy to share another pre-recorded animal law webinar with Dr. Lori Marino, the Founder and President of the Whale Sanctuary Project and the Executive Director of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy! The event was organized under the Project “Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan.”

In this presentation, Lori Marino discussed the concept of nonhuman personhood from a philosophical and legal perspective focusing on the extensive scientific evidence that shows many animals meet the definition of personhood used in the law to protect human beings. She also discussed the ways human cognitive biases and psychological defense mechanisms prevent nonhuman personhood from being accepted both legally and philosophically and why this concept is important for recognizing the independent rights of other animals beyond welfare.

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We are happy to announce our next animal law webinar on Zoom with Lori Marino, the Founder and President of the Whale Sanctuary Project and the Executive Director of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, on November 4th, 2021!

In this presentation, Lori Marino will discuss the concept of nonhuman personhood from a philosophical and legal perspective focusing on the extensive scientific evidence that shows many animals meet the definition of personhood used in the law to protect human beings. She will then discuss the ways human cognitive biases and psychological defense mechanisms prevent nonhuman personhood from being accepted both legally and philosophically and why this concept is important for recognizing the independent rights of other animals beyond welfare.

Lori Marino is a neuroscientist formerly on the faculty of Emory University known for her work on the evolution of the brain and intelligence in dolphins and whales, as well as primates, elephants, and farmed animals. She is also involved in various projects at the intersection of science and animal law and has worked closely with the Nonhuman Rights Project. 

Open and Free to the public. Registration is required, find the link here.

Find more information on our Facebook event page.

We are happy to share another pre-recorded animal law webinar with Dr. Maria Baideldinova, the Assistant Professor of KIMEP University! The event was organized under the Project “Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan.”

In this presentation, Dr. Maria Baideldinova described the currently existing legal provisions, which regulate the creation and functioning of dolphinariums in Kazakhstan, identified the gaps, and discussed the perspectives of legislative developments in this sphere.

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We are happy to share another pre-recorded animal law webinar with Cat Besch, the founder and director of Vietnam Animal Aid & Rescue - U.S! The event was organized under the Project “Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan.”

Protecting animals of all species requires understanding the unique political, economic, and cultural context of the target community which varies from country to country, and conservation of marine ecosystems is no different. While speciesism is the dominant worldview and prevalent even in most animal protection movements, the success of sea life protections requires a shift in that paradigm. Cat Besch discussed how we can redirect the discourse to animal rights solutions that are better tailored to regional needs that also work for all species, including humans.

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We are happy to invite you to our next animal law webinar on Zoom with Dr. Maria Baideldinova, the Assistant Professor of KIMEP University, on September 6th, 2021!

In this presentation, Maria will describe the currently existing legal provisions, which regulate the creation and functioning of dolphinariums in Kazakhstan, identify the gaps, and discuss the perspectives of legislative developments in this sphere.

Dr. Maria Baideldinova is an Assistant Professor of private law disciplines at KIMEP University, Kazakhstan, the author of the first Animal Law course in the region. As a member of Kazakhstan’s animal protection NGO and of the Animal Law Committee of the Chamber of Legal Consultants "KazBar," Maria participates in the work on the animal welfare draft law. 

Open and Free to the public. Registration is required, find the link here.

Find more information on our Facebook event page.

We are happy to announce our next free animal law webinar on Zoom with Cat Besch, the Founder of Vietnam Animal Aid and Rescue - U.S., on August 20th, 2021!

Protecting animals of all species requires understanding the unique political, economic, and cultural context of the target community which varies from country to country, and conservation of marine ecosystems is no different. While speciesism is the dominant worldview and prevalent even in most animal protection movements, the success of sea life protections requires a shift in that paradigm. In this presentation, Cat Besch will discuss how we can redirect the discourse to animal rights solutions that are better tailored to regional needs that also work for all species, including humans.

Cat Besch is an American animal rights activist and the founder and director of Vietnam Animal Aid and Rescue - U.S., a rescue shelter and farm sanctuary in Hoi An. Cat has extensive experience in rehabilitation work but also focuses on addressing global animal rights issues through the lens of regional political, economic, and cultural contexts.

Open and Free to the public. Registration is required, find the link here.

Find more information on our Facebook event page.

We are happy to share another pre-recorded animal law webinar with Erika Techera, the Professor of Law of The University of Western Australia! The event was organized under the Project “Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan.”

Some sharks, rays, and chimaera are top predators, and others are harmless filter feeders, but most are poorly understood. Yet it is known that many of them play an important role in our marine ecosystems but are under increasing pressure, largely from fishing. In this presentation, Erika introduced these amazing animals, outlined their importance and conservation status, and explored threats to them, as well as explained the laws for their conservation and management.

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We are happy to share a successfully held webinar organized by the Institute of Animal Law of Asia with Jamie Woodhouse, the Founder of sentientism.info and the Host of the Sentientist Podcast Conversations series! The event was organized under the Project “Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan.”

In this presentation, Jamie explained what Sentientism is, where it came from, why everyone should agree with it, and how it can help us fix all of the world’s problems – for non-human and human sentients alike.

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We are delighted to announce our next guest speaker in the webinar series, Erika Techera, the Professor of Law of The University of Western Australia, on August 3, 2021!

Some sharks, rays, and chimaera are top predators, and others are harmless filter feeders, but most are poorly understood. Yet it is known that many of them play an important role in our marine ecosystems but are under increasing pressure, largely from fishing. In this presentation, Erika will introduce these amazing animals, outline their importance and conservation status, and explore threats to them, before explaining the laws for their conservation and management.

Erika Techera specializes in international and comparative environmental law with a particular focus on Indo-Pacific oceans governance. Erika has been researching and writing about shark law and policy for over a decade. She has published over 100 papers/chapters including many on shark conservation. She is the co-author of International Law of Sharks (Brill, 2017) and co-editor of Sharks: Conservation, Governance and Management (Routledge, 2014).

Open and Free to the public. Registration is required, find the link here.

Find more information on our Facebook event page.

We are happy to share our next animal law webinar with Jamie Woodhouse, the Founder of sentientism.info, on July 20th, 2021!

In this presentation, Jamie will explain what Sentientism is, where it came from, why everyone should agree with it, and how it can help us to fix all of the world’s problems – for non-human and human sentients alike.

Jamie is an animal advocate, consultant, coach, and volunteer. He works primarily on the Sentientism worldview by refining the philosophy, raising awareness of the idea, and building communities and movements around it. He is also the host of the Sentientist Podcast Conversations series where he and his guests discuss the two main questions "what's real?" and "what matters?"

Open and Free to the public. Registration is required, find the link here.

Find more information on our Facebook event page.

We are happy to share another successfully held webinar organized by the Institute of Animal Law of Asia with Jennifer Kirsch, the Research and Project Strategist of Fish Welfare Initiative! The event was organized under the Project “Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan.”

Common practices in aquaculture and fisheries infringe on fish welfare and cause prolonged suffering. This presentation covered the status of aquaculture and fisheries, how these industries handle fish, and what can be done to improve fishes’ welfare in these systems.

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Institute of Animal Law of Asia successfully held the webinar with the guest speaker, Maddy Dawe, the Campaigns Coordinator of the Humane League UK! The event was organized under the Project “Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan.”

In this presentation, Maddy discussed how aquatic animals have the capacity to suffer much like our companion animals, and the welfare issues associated with our consumption of fish and other aquatic species. She also talked about the importance of urgently protecting aquatic animals in the legal system, the current situation for aquatic animals in UK law, and how The Humane League UK is working to change the lives of fish for the better.

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We are happy to announce our next animal law webinar with Jennifer Kirsch, the Research and Project Strategist of Fish Welfare Initiative, on June 28th, 2021!

Common practices in aquaculture and fisheries infringe on fish welfare and cause prolonged suffering. This presentation will cover the status of aquaculture and fisheries, how these industries handle fish, and what can be done to improve fishes’ welfare in these systems.

Jennifer's work focuses on alleviating the suffering of fish in aquaculture systems and fisheries. To achieve this goal, Jennifer works with stakeholders from industry, government, and nonprofit organizations around the world.

Open and Free to the public. Registration is required, find the link here.

Find more information on our Facebook event page.

Institute of Animal Law of Asia successfully held the webinar with the guest speaker, Professor Gary L. Francione, the Board of Governors Professor of Law at Rutgers University School of Law! The event was organized under the Project “Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan.”

In his presentation, Professor Francione discussed the six principles of the Abolitionist theory he has pioneered.

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Institute of Animal Law of Asia is happy to announce its next animal law webinar, featuring Maddy Dawe, the Campaigns Coordinator of the Humane League UK, on June 11th, 2021!

In this presentation, Maddy will discuss how aquatic animals have the capacity to suffer much like our companion animals, and the welfare issues associated with our consumption of fish and other aquatic species. She will also talk about the importance of urgently protecting aquatic animals in the legal system, the current situation for aquatic animals in UK law, and how The Humane League UK is working to change the lives of fish for the better.

Maddy Dawe is a campaigner for The Humane League UK, an organization working to end the abuse of animals raised for food which has been named Top Charity by Animal Charity Evaluators for every rating period. Since joining THL UK, Maddy has coordinated hard-hitting corporate and legislative campaigns. In 2020, she started campaigning for better legal protections for farmed fish in the UK and working to raise awareness of aquatic animal welfare.

Open and Free to the public. Registration is required, find the link here.

Find more information on our Facebook event page.

"Sea Lion" by Alejandro Hernandez. is licensed under CC BY 2.0
May 14, 2021

Aquariums have always been full of visitors, mostly because people are interested in seeing wild animals they have never seen, and some visit those facilities for educational purposes. Kazakhstan is not an exception, and aquariums are highly demanded in the country. In this blog, Lu Shegay discusses the public attitude and the legislation on the operation of aquariums.


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Institute of Animal Law of Asia is delighted to announce the animal law webinar featuring Gary L. Francione, the Board of Governors Professor of Law at Rutgers University School of Law, on May 29th, 2021!

In his presentation, Professor Francione will discuss the six principles of the Abolitionist theory he has pioneered.

Gary L. Francione is Board of Governors Professor of Law at Rutgers University School of Law, Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the University of Lincoln, UK, and Honorary Professor of Philosophy at the University of East Anglia, UK. Professor Francione is the author of numerous books and articles on animal rights theory. He has developed the Abolitionist theory of animal rights and maintains that veganism is a moral imperative.

Open and Free to the public. Registration is required, find the link here.

Find more information on our Facebook event page.

Institute of Animal Law of Asia successfully held the webinar with the guest speaker, Kevin Schneider, the Executive Director of the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP)! The event is organized under the Project “Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan.”

In his presentation, Kevin talked about the NhRP's work, discussed what it means to be a legal "thing" with no rights instead of a legal "person" with fundamental rights, the historic progress the NhRP has made since it filed its first nonhuman rights lawsuits in 2013, as well as the past and ongoing cases.

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We are sad to announce that Steven Wise will not be able to present his lecture “The Global Struggle for Nonhuman Rights” this Saturday. Instead, the Institute of Animal Law of Asia will host Kevin Schneider, the Executive Director of the Nonhuman Rights Project, on the same day/time, May 1st, 1 pm PT/4 pm ET, with the same topic.


In this lecture, Kevin Schneider what it means to be a legal "thing" with no rights instead of a legal "person" with fundamental rights, and the historic progress the NhRP has made since it filed its first nonhuman rights lawsuits in 2013.


Kevin Schneider earned his law degree from Florida State University in 2013 with a specialization in environmental and land use law. He graduated with a B.A. in political science from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, in 2009. In addition to his interest in nonhuman rights and personhood, Kevin is an advocate for reforming the food system with a focus on plant-based foods.


Free and Open to the public.


Please see our Facebook event page here.


REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR

Guest Lecture

Institute of Animal Law of Asia is delighted to announce the guest lecture of Steven M. Wise, the founder and the president of the Nonhuman Rights Project, on May 1, 2021!


In this lecture, Steven Wise will discuss how and why he founded the Nonhuman Rights Project, what it means to be a legal "thing" with no rights instead of a legal "person" with fundamental rights, and the historic progress the NhRP has made since it filed its first nonhuman rights lawsuits in 2013.


Steven M. Wise began his mission to gain rights for nonhuman animals in 1985. Professor Wise taught the first class in “Animal Rights Law” at the Harvard Law School and has taught “Animal Rights Jurisprudence” at the Stanford Law School, as well as the University of Miami, St. Thomas, and John Marshall Law Schools, and is currently teaching “Animal Rights Jurisprudence” at the Lewis and Clark Law School and Vermont Law School.


Free and Open to the public.


REGISTER

Institute of Animal Law of Asia organizes the World Aquatic Animal Day Webinar at the platform kindly provided by KIMEP University as a celebration of World Aquatic Animal Day.


The panelists include:

The webinar will be held on Zoom, April 3rd, at 9:30 am (in Kazakhstan)*. FREE and OPEN to the public. Register here.

*The U.S. time is 8:30 pm (Pacific) and 11:30 pm (Eastern) on April 2nd.


READ ABOUT THE WEBINAR

World Aquatic Animal Day Webinar at KIMEP University, Kazakhstan

On April 3, at 9:30 am in Kazakhstan, the Institute of Animal Law of Asia organizes the webinar in Kazakhstan as a celebration of World Aquatic Animal Day!


World Aquatic Animal Day was first launched in 2020 by the Aquatic Animal Law Initiative (AALI), Center for Animal Law Studies, Lewis & Clark Law School. To see AALI's event this year, go to worldaquaticanimalday.org.


The IALA webinar is part of the project "Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan."


Please join our webinar with speakers from across the globe, including animal law experts, where they will introduce you to the necessity to protect aquatic animals and discuss how human activities impact aquatic life. More information to follow.


The webinar will be held on Zoom, April 3rd, at 9:30 am (in Kazakhstan)*. FREE and OPEN to the public. Register here.


*The U.S. time is 8:30 pm (Pacific) and 11:30 pm (Eastern) on April 2nd.


READ ABOUT THE WEBINAR

March 12, 2021

Plastic bags, cups, bottles have become a very convenient use for our everyday lives, but this could lead to the fatal outcome for lots of aquatic animals who mistakenly consume plastic items. In this blog, Lu Shegay discusses the impact of plastic use on aquatic animals, the COVID-19 consequences, and the ways to reduce plastic waste in our oceans.


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Guest Lecture for the Animal Law Course

The first guest lecture within the Project "Enhancing Legal Regulations of Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan" has been successfully presented at the KIMEP School of Law on February 24th, 2021!

Lu was invited to speak for the Animal Law class at KIMEP University, the only university in the Commonwealth of Independent States that offers an animal law course. She spoke about aquariums and the consequences of keeping marine mammals in captivity. Students were also given a lobbying task within the group to advocate for their movement's interests.

The recording is on our Youtube channel.

Cooperation between the KIMEP School of Law and IALA

We are pleased to announce the cooperation between the KIMEP School of Law and the Institute of Animal Law of Asia by launching a non-mandatory, free, and open to the public animal law course where anyone will have an opportunity to learn more about the protection of animals.

Institute of Animal Law of Asia (IALA) is an educational research center that focuses on animal law issues in Asia and the world. IALA is dedicated to offering news, articles, and comprehensive and up-to-date information on the issues of animal law and policy all over Asia and the world, aiming at raising awareness in more individuals and communities about the threats that animals face every day.

Are you interested in learning more about animal protection and how you can contribute to this field? Students, faculty and staff, and any interested individuals within KIMEP University can work with animal law experts, improve writing, speaking, legal research skills, and learn more about the threats that animals face every day, specifically from human activities. This voluntary and free course will be supervised by Dr. Maria Baideldinova, the Assistant Professor of KIMEP School of Law, and the team of the Institute of Animal Law of Asia. The course will introduce you to a new and developing field of law and the importance of the animal world in our lives, how animals are impacted by humans' intervention, and demonstrate how animals are protected legally in certain countries.

Selected papers will be published on the website of the Institute of Animal Law of Asia.

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