Swiss to vote on introduction of lawyers for animals

The Swiss are known for their army knives, but soon they may be known for being progressive leaders in providing legal protections for animals. Findlaw reports that they could soon be voting on whether lawyers should be allowed to defend animals in court. The aim is to crack down on the mistreatment of animals. Not only that, but there is a track record of success for the model, which was adopted in Zurich 15 years ago. "The numbers of cases examined and the sentences handed down are clearly higher than in the rest of Switzerland," according to the animal rights defenders, who are confident their project will succeed.