The Animals Act 1971 Places a Disproportionate Burden on the Keepers of Animals and is in Need of Reform

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the Animals Act 1971 places a disproportionate burden on the keepers of animals and whether it is in need of reform. The law prior to the Act will be considered in order to identify the problems that led to the current law. An analysis of the application of the Act and the case law follows to identify any problems with the current law. This paper will also focus specifically on damage caused by horse riding accidents due to the fact that it is a high risk sport and injuries will arise. Finally the attempts to reform the Act will be discussed in order to come to a conclusion as to whether reform continues to be necessary.