In an age preoccupied with climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, another moral crisis remains largely hidden in plain sight: the treatment of animals. Animal welfare is often presented as a modern secular concern, yet Judaism, Christianity and Islam all place limits on human power over animals and emphasise mercy, stewardship and the prevention of unnecessary suffering.

Judaism recognises the obligation to prevent cruelty through the principle associated with Tza'ar Ba'alei Chayim. Biblical law extends Sabbath rest to livestock, forbids muzzling an ox while it works, and links righteousness with concern for an animal’s needs. Christianity likewise presents humanity not as the absolute owner of creation but as its steward. The image of the Good Shepherd reflects a duty to protect and nurture rather than merely possess.

Islam offers an especially extensive framework. The Qur’an describes animals as “communities like you”, while Prophetic teachings condemn animal fighting, live-target practices, unnecessary mutilation, overloading and neglect. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instructed that animals be spared unnecessary fear and pain during slaughter, rebuked cruelty towards working animals, ordered the return of young birds to their mother, and condemned the burning of an ant colony. The well-known accounts of a woman punished for starving a cat and a person shown mercy for giving water to a thirsty dog........

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