Animal - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition animal

Definition :

Animal, 'Animal' means any living creature other than a human being. [Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (59 of 1960), s. 2(a)]

Animal includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians fish, other chordates and invertebrates and also includes their young and eggs. [Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (53 of 1972), s. 2(a)]

In common parlance animal is understood as a quadruped creature but fish is also an animal but of a different kind. Prawn is included in the definition of fish as given in the Maritime Zones of India (Regulation of Fishing by Foreign Vessels) Act and has all the essential attributes of an animal viz. life, sensation and voluntary motion. It is therefore not possible to accept the contention that prawn is not a livestock, I.T.C. v. Person in charge, Agricultural Market Committee, (2004) 2 SCC 794 (799): AIR 2004 SC 1796. [Maritime Zones of India (Regulations of Fishing by Foreign Vessels) Act, 1981, ss. 2(b), 3 & 12]

The word 'animal' denotes any living creature, other than a human being. [Indian Penal code, s. 47]