The animal issue in colombian public politics during decade 2006-2016

Abstract

Public policies are an important instrument in contemporary democracies. In Colombia, the promulgation of public policies for protection and animal welfare has sought to fulfill the mandate of special protection to animals, enshrined in the National Political Constitution and different laws and judgments. The article analyzes some elements of four main public policies of the country regarding animal protection: the cases of Medellín, Cali, Bogotá and Tunja. Also, some references are made to other municipal experiences such as Guadalajara de Buga and Yumbo, both municipalities located in the Department of Valle del Cauca. This does not stop to reflect on other experiences of different territorial entities of the country. Later, the public component of public policies is then evaluated and the guiding principles that guide state action in animal protection are set out. Later, the advances in the animal question are analyzed from the promulgation of the public policies and are presented some conclusions, that have as object to reflect on the necessity to approach the animal question in an interdisciplinary way, and the public policies are proposed as instruments that promote the cultural transformation in the matter of human-animal relations; emphasizing that the mere promulgation of the instruments is not enough, but a constant political commitment is essential to the effective impact of non-human beings.