South Africa's top court keeps animal well-being in conservation law

South Africa's Constitutional Court dismissed a challenge by the South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association against animal well-being provisions in the country's biodiversity law — the case failed because the challenge came 25 months after presidential assent, unreasonably late. The provisions stay in force: wildlife management and conservation decisions must keep weighing animals' physical and mental health, quality of life, and ability to cope with their environment. The NSPCA and the EMS Foundation, which opposed the challenge, welcomed the outcome. (The ruling was on the timing of the challenge, not the merits — but the protections stand.)