Wildlife as Property Owners

A New Conception of Animal Rights

By: Karen Bradshaw

Narrated by: Scotty Kwas

Humankind coexists with every other living thing. People drink the same water, breathe the same air, and share the same land as other animals. Yet, property law reflects a general assumption that only people can own land. The effects of this presumption are disastrous for wildlife and humans alike. The alarm bells ringing about biodiversity loss are growing louder, and the possibility of mass extinction is real. Anthropocentric property is a key driver of biodiversity loss, a silent killer of species worldwide. But as law and sustainability scholar Karen Bradshaw shows, if excluding animals from a legal right to own land is causing their destruction, extending the legal right to own property to wildlife may prove its salvation. Wildlife as Property Owners advocates for folding animals into our existing system of property law, giving them the opportunity to own land just as humans do—to the betterment of all.

©2020 University of Chicago Press (P)2024 Karen Bradshaw

Informative and Fascinating

As a wildlife enthusiast I’ve often wondered about a sustainable future for coexistence. This author presents a new and intriguing argument that would solve for animal rights and protect private property. Read well and an easy listen.