Colombian Court admits the concept of multispecies families
In an unprecedented case, a Colombian court has admitted the concept of multispecies families, seeking to respond to a lawsuit by a citizen against his ex-partner for not allowing him visits to his canine pet
The Superior Court of Colombia has set a precedent by admitting the concept of multispecies families, in the context of a lawsuit by a citizen against his ex-partner for not allowing him to visit his canine pet, given that he considers her his dog daughter, named Simona.
The case may seem irrelevant. However, according to the Colombian and international press, the court that took up the case has admitted the concept of multispecies families in the ruling to protect the rights of the animal, dependent on the obligations of its owners.
In the Colombian media it emerged: “The Superior Court of Bogotá assured that, in order to protect the multispecies family, Simona is part of the family nucleus and therefore the court must take into account both her well-being and that of the other members of the group where she lives.”
As background to the case, the lawsuit was filed in 2021, after the divorce, given that the plaintiff’s partner did not allow him to see Simona. He went to family court; however, the response he obtained indicated that because it was an animal, and not a human, he had to go to a civil court.
Thus, the Superior Court of Bogotá is currently in charge of the lawsuit for this “conflict of interest” and establishes the “concept of multispecies family”, with the allegation that “animals can occupy a place as members of human families, a susceptible situation of protection as a social reality.”
Arguing that although animals stopped being treated as things, they still maintain their “property” status within the legal system. Currently, every animal is identified as a sentient being.”
Consequently, the jurisdiction of the case is transferred to a family court, for the well-being of not only the plaintiff but also the pet Simona, since it has been concluded that she also suffers the consequences, as this court considered.
In his speech, Judge Carlos Andrés Guzmán stressed that “the protection of the multispecies family must take precedence”, which is why he gives the family court the competence to make a decision on this case, since the plaintiff considers Simona as his “daughter.”
M.Pino
With information from international media and social networks
(Referential image source: Unsplash, in collaboration with Getty Images)
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