In this episode, we step inside some of the most fascinating courtrooms in the world to explore how animal law is unfolding in practice. With Macarena Montes, a researcher with a PhD in Law from Universitat Pompeu Fabra and a Rights Research Fellow at the Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School, we move beyond theory into judicial decisions that are reshaping legal thinking across jurisdictions.

From criminal cruelty cases recognising animals as subjects of rights, to groundbreaking habeas corpus petitions for chimpanzees, this conversation maps the strategic landscape of modern animal litigation. We unpack the victories and tensions, including judicial hesitation and the politics behind transformative decisions.

This episode reveals animal law as a dynamic, procedural experiment: a field where traditional legal tools are being stretched and reimagined. It is a tour through bold arguments, creative litigation strategies, and the evolving question at the heart of it all — how far can the law go to protect animals?