Rights for "Social Animals" in Switzerland

The country that has brought the concept of “plant dignity” to the world has now extended “rights” to members of “social species.” animals. From the story:

Under a new Swiss law enshrining rights for animals, dog owners will require a qualification, anglers will take lessons in compassion and horses will go only in twos.

From guinea-pigs to budgerigars, any animal classified as a “social species” will be a victim of abuse if it does not cohabit, or at least have contact, with others of its own kind.

The new regulation stipulates that aquariums for pet fish should not be transparent on all sides and that owners must make sure that the natural cycle of day and night is maintained in terms of light. Goldfish are considered social animals, or Gruppentiere in German...

The law extends to unlikely regions of the animal kingdom. Anglers will also be required to complete a course on catching fish humanely, with the Government citing studies indicating that fish can suffer too.

The regulations will affect farmers, who will no longer be allowed to tether horses, sheep and goats, nor keep pigs and cows in areas with hard floors. The legislation even mentions the appropriate keeping of rhinoceroses, although it was not clear immediately how many, if any, were being kept as pets in Switzerland.

Animal protection groups have greeted the news enthusiastically, but critics say that it means an extra financial burden on taxpayers and animal owners, and that it will be impossible to monitor the implementation of the rules. Farmers’ associations have protested, arguing that the law will have a negative effect on the economy and decrease their competitiveness on the international market.

What can one say any more? Children die of malaria in Africa, genocide rages in the Sudan, and Switzerland is giving rights to plants and extending the concept of the proper care and treatment of animals to surrealistic proportions to the point that it may harm humans from thriving and prospering.

And get this from the country that permits lay assisted suicide groups to thrive:

And a word of warning for those planning a mercy killing for their goldfish: special chemicals will be required “to put them to death”. Flushing them down the loo is no longer an option.

We are losing our minds.