Executive Summary

The Government of Tanzania should be commended on the explicit recognition of both vertebrates and invertebrates as sentient beings as well as enshrining the Five Freedoms in law in the Animal Welfare Act (2008). Similarly, the Government should be commended for explicitly promoting the 3Rs Principles – Replacement, Reduction, Refinement – in the Act. The Animal Welfare Act (2008) is also able to have a positive impact on animal welfare in Tanzania through the dual role of all police officers and zoo sanitary inspectors as Animal Welfare Inspectors.

However, animal welfare legislation in Tanzania is unclear as to its application to wild animals in captivity. A further concern is the exclusion of wild animals from the protections of the Animal Welfare Act (2008), when the Wildlife Conservation Act (2009) includes few welfare protections. The exclusion also means that the Five Freedoms and the recognition of sentience cannot be applied to wild animals. There are limited secondary regulations to ensure appropriate care for farm animals and it is of concern that the National Livestock Policy (2006) promotes the industrialisation of the farming industry. Industrial systems are not compatible with the Five Freedoms already enshrined in the Animal Welfare Act (2008). Since the 2014 edition of the API, the Government of Tanzania has made no improvements to animal welfare legislation.

Responsibility for implementation of the Animal Welfare Act (2008) is assigned to the Minister responsible for Livestock, while wild animals fall under the jurisdiction of the Minister responsible for the Environment and the appointed Director of Wildlife. The Animal Welfare Act (2008) also established the Animal Welfare Advisory Council which is responsible for advising the Government on animal welfare issues.

The Government of Tanzania is encouraged to amend the Animal Welfare Act (2008) to include a recognition of wild animals and other animals such as cephalopods and decapods crustaceans as sentient. Alternatively, the Government is encouraged to recognise the sentience of all vertebrates, cephalopods and decapods crustaceans in the Fisheries Act (2003) and the Wildlife Conservation Act (2009). Similarly, the Government is also encouraged to amend the Animal Welfare Act (2008) to ensure all animals – both domesticated and wild – are protected under the Act. Further legal and policy recommendations are associated with each Animal Protection Index (API) indicator and contained in the relevant sections of this report.