Animal Definition:

In Book 2 of his 1769 Commentaries on the Laws of England, William Blackstone distinguished animals as living things:

"... which have in themselves a principal in power of motion and, unless particularly confined, can convey themselves from one part of the world to another."

Statutes often specifically define the term to suit the remedial needs of the legislation.

For example, England's Diseases of Animals Act 1975, at s. 1(4) defines animal as:

• "any kind of mammal except man;
• "any kind of four-footed beast which is not a mammal; (and)
• "fish, reptiles, crustaceans and other cold-blooded creatures...."

REFERENCES:

• Bernardine v City of New York 44 NYS 2d 881