Legal background Animal Welfare Act 2006
The aim of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 ("the 2006 Act") is to promote the welfare of "protected animals", except animals used in scientific procedures which are subject to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Vertebrate animals of a kind commonly domesticated in the British Islands are deemed to be "protected animals", whether they can be said to be under the control of man or not. This ensures that, for example, stray dogs and feral cats are covered. Animals of a kind not commonly domesticated, such as wildlife, in the UK are only protected animals to the extent that they are under the control of man or are not living independently in the wild.
	The 2006 Act makes it an offence for any person who is responsible for a kept animal to cause the animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for the animal’s welfare needs. It also provides for additional specific animal welfare protections to be introduced under secondary legislation and provides for the publication of statutory welfare codes that enable practical guidance to be provided to keepers on how to care for their animals. These codes can be used to inform prosecutions (although the codes themselves are not all legally enforceable).