Announcing the Africa Animal Law Collaborative

The Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) at Lewis & Clark Law School and the Alliance for Human Animal Coexistence (AHAC) announce an exciting new initiative to advance animal protection in Africa: the Africa Animal Law Collaborative (the Collaborative).

The Collaborative is a strategic initiative designed to cultivate, connect, and sustain a new generation of animal-law leaders dedicated to protecting Africa’s animals, while strengthening long-term institutional collaborations between African and North American animal-law advocates. The initiative brings together AHAC’s strength as a bridge between African and North American institutions with CALS’ globally recognized academics, training, and accomplished animal law alumni and infrastructure. Together, AHAC and CALS will co-lead a coordinated cross-border coalition that aligns education, mentorship, advocacy, capacity, and judicial/prosecutorial training into a coherent whole, centered on African leadership and designed for long-term impact. By investing in people, institutions, and relationships, rather than isolated and siloed projects, the Collaborative offers a scalable model for advancing animal protection in Africa through law and helping create an effective advocacy community. The Collaborative is committed to advancing comprehensive legal protections for all animals across the African continent, including terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, companion animals, and farmed animals.

Lawyers for Animal Protection Africa (LAPA) and Animal Law Reform South Africa (ALRSA), African partner nonprofit organizations founded by Lewis & Clark Law School animal law alumni, will serve as senior advisors and regional implementing partners. LAPA was co-founded by Jim Karani (’17, Animal Law LLM, Kenya), Amy P. Wilson (’18, Animal Law LLM, South Africa) and Judy Muriithi (’19, Animal Law LLM, Kenya). ALRSA was co-founded by Amy P. Wilson with others. Karani, Muriithi and Wilson are animal law experts with a track record of elevating the status of animals in their home countries. Their organizations will provide contextual expertise, identify high-potential candidates and initiatives, and ensure that programming remains grounded in local legal realities and priorities.

To aid capacity building, the Collaborative also includes the creation of up to three full-tuition animal law advanced degree scholarships at Lewis & Clark Law School for advocates dedicated to advancing the interests of animals in Africa. These scholarships were previously announced and the application window was opened for Fall 2026 (applications are closed for Fall 2026, but applications are now open for Spring 2027).

Through this historic collaboration, CALS and its partners in the Collaborative look forward to working together to ensure that Africa is not seen merely as a peripheral site of animal-law development, but as a source of leadership, innovation, and Afrocentric legal perspectives that meaningfully enrich global animal-law discourse and protect the lives and the interests of animals.