The Saeima has adopted and the President promulgated the following laws: law on the protection of animals, humanity's ethical obligation is to ensure the welfare of animals of all species and protection since each specimen itself has value. Man has a moral obligation to respect any creature, treat animals with iejutīg understanding and protect them. No one is allowed in without a valid reason to kill the animal, cause it pain, suffering, or otherwise cause damage.
Chapter I General provisions article 1. The law is applied in the following terms: 1) the owner of the animal — the legal or natural person who owns an animal;
2), the holder of the animals — the person handling and care of animals;
3) — animal welfare a physiological need for precautionary measures;
4) euthanasia: a painless killing;
5) animal shelter — a specially equipped place to live is caught by stray, confiscated and orphan animals, and animals who need help;
6) animal hotel — specially equipped place to House (rooms) the owner of an animal for a certain period of time can leave the care of your animal.
  2. article.  This law determines the rights and obligations in the field of animal protection.
  3. article. Animals are classified according to their actual position or use the following: 1) livestock;
2) House (rooms);
3) sports and working animals;
4) experiments and animals used for scientific purposes;
5) Wildlife;
6) amusement.
4. article. Prohibited cruel behavior toward animals, that are: 1) the killing of an animal, except in the cases provided by law;
2) animal mutilation, harassment and torture;
3) leaving the animals without care;
4) leaving the animal in a helpless state;
5) animal baiting and uzrīdīšan, except when it is necessary for the work of animal training;
6 organisation of animal fights), the involvement of these animals and fight this fight;
7) use animal religious rituals, lotteries, the animal's whole public events, except agricultural exhibitions;
8 the use of animals for target) shooting training or competitions;
9 the use of the other) the animal species, with the exception of training a hunting dog training;
10) use of animals causing it to exceed their natural abilities;
11) playing a travelling menagerie of animals;
12) offering and the female animal animal males dzimumtieksmj to meet without the purpose to get descendants;
13) other activities that cause or may cause the animal mutilation or death, cause suffering, except when these activities are performed in the treatment for experimental or scientific purposes, or where there is a risk to human life or health.
5. article. (1) the owner of the animal is laid down in the civil code power over animals other than this law and other laws in certain cases.
(2) the owner of an animal shall have the following responsibilities: 1) take care of animal health, animal welfare and the use of appropriate to its species, age and Physiology;
2) take care of favourable public attitudes towards animals in his possession;
3) to ensure that the animal does not disturb and do not endanger people or other animals;
4) to prevent the uncontrolled growth of the animal.
(3) in the second subparagraph, the obligations of the holder of the animals who entrusted by the owner or in possession of animals the animal stumbled upon otherwise.
(4) only the animal owner shall have the right to demonstrate in public exhibitions of animals, you authorize its use for the donor and in the cases specified in this law, killing or for use in experiments and scientific purposes.
  6. article. The animal owner shall ensure the registration and identification of animal law.
  7. article. Injured or sick animal for providing assistance, if necessary, by a practicing veterinarian.
  8. article. (1) Without shelter and care or supervision of the owner left the animal (except hunting dogs hunting) is considered as a stray animal.
(2) any person on stray animal should immediately notify the local authorities of the institution.
  9. article. (1) compliance with this law, shall monitor and control: 1) under the supervision of the Ministry of agriculture: (a) the existing authorities of the State Veterinary Service), in the case of this article 3 of the law on the protection of animals referred to in (b)), national forest service, wildlife (wild) animal protection;
2) environmental protection and regional development the Ministry authorities for the protection of wildlife.
(2) the first paragraph of this article of this law, the requirements may be involved in the monitoring of public organizations for the protection of animals.
10. article. The Cabinet of Ministers approved: 1) the keeping of farm animals and the procedure for use and determine the welfare of each of the species of livestock keeping and use, agricultural trade, requirements of farm animals for slaughter, as well as for the protection of livestock, the rights and obligations of the holder;
2) home (room) the animal protection rules and determine the welfare of these animals for holding, trade and public exhibitions, to play as well as the House (room) animal rights and obligations of the holder;
3) order in which the animals used for sport and work, and determine the welfare requirements of animals for sport and work for holding, use and trade, as well as sports and work the animal owner's rights and obligations;
4) experiments and scientific purposes of animals used, and trade procedures and determine the welfare of these animals, the killing procedures and methods;
5) wild animal protection rules and establishes requirements for catching wild animals, for holding them captive and wild animal collection, the order in which the country imported wild animals and obtain import licences, as well as the order in which the animal populations (reintroduction) in nature and not specific to the Latvian nature wildlife introduction (introduction);
6) the rules on the protection of animals in their attraction to the holding, the King and the playback process;

7) animal welfare requirements for animals in animal shelters and hotels;
8) animal transport procedures and determine the welfare requirements of animals of different species in different vehicles, as well as the animal's owner and the rights and obligations of the carrier during transport;
9) animal protection Council of ethics rules and determine its composition, function and operation.
11. article.  The ethics of animal protection Council is a consultative institution that educates the public and make recommendations to the national authorities in the field of animal protection. They consist of national, scientific institutions and public organizations representatives.
12. article. (1) violation Of this law, a person called to the statutory liability.
(2) holders of administrative prosecution or criminal responsibility does not exempt the person from the obligation to pay the law as a result of the infringement damages.
(3) If the owner of the animal shall take or allow this law referred to in article 4 or article 5 do not referred to in the second subparagraph of article 9 of the activities referred to in the first subparagraph, officers within their competence can be confiscated animals in accordance with the procedure prescribed by law.
Chapter II protection of farm animals article 13.  Livestock use animal products or work.
  14. article.  Livestock use to work may be a person who is familiar with the species and breed livestock, training and use.
  15. article. Livestock disease or injury in case the owner must receive a practicing veterinarian, the conclusion of the necessary care and treatment.
Chapter III House (rooms) animal protection article 16. Plēsīgo of wild poisonous and animals, monkeys, marine mammals, and the animals must be fed with live animals warm-blooded, forbidden to hold as the House (room).
  Article 17. House (rooms), animals shall be prohibited: 1) use to work as a Dynamo (except for this purpose suitable breed dogs special traces);
2) grow and use food and fur.  
  18. article. Prohibited to do surgical operations of House (rooms), animals to transform its appearance or other medical purposes, except where the operation specified by the practicing veterinarian.
Chapter IV Sports and animal protection article 19. (1) the race of animal participation allowed to hold only with the relevant territorial veterinary service manager approval, but international measures — with just the main wardens of State Veterinary's permission.
(2) the competitions allowed to participate only in animals that have a health certificate or export, a veterinary health certificate.
  20. article. Competition prohibits the use of endangered and protected species of animals, the protection of which shall be determined by international treaties binding for Latvia.
  21. article.  Training and competition sports animal permitted to enter a medicinal substances (doping) that affects the natural ability.
  22. article. Working animal chooses according to the type of use, conditions of work and specific functions.
  23. article.  Working animals may be used where: 1) knowledge of the species and breed livestock and training;
2) able to control the animal and, if necessary, to stop the attack on humans or animals.
Chapter v experiments and scientific purposes of protection of animals used in article 24. (1) experiments and scientific purposes uses specially bred the animals (laboratory animals) or other animals with owner permission.
(2) wild animals for experiments and scientific purposes may be used if the goal cannot be achieved by other means.
(3) experiments and scientific purposes, the number of animals used is reduced by optimizing the experimental methods, and, if possible, to replace animal experiments with alternative research methods.
  25. article.  The official veterinary service of the protection of animals at the ethical evaluation of the opinion of the Council is authorized to use animals for experiments and scientific research.
  26. article.  Learning process in the biological, medical and veterinary training for vocational education allowed to use laboratory animals and other animals, if the objective cannot be achieved by other means.
Chapter VI protection of wild animals article 27. Wild animals to capture and hold in captivity is allowed only for scientific, educational or conservation of the species, if the protection of the environment and regional development Ministry.
  28. article. Wild animals prohibited to train or use for entertainment purposes.
  29. article.  Domesticated and wild life custom wildlife not prohibited to skip the free nature.
  30. article.  Forbidden to maliciously destroy wildlife in natural living space (caves, dens, nests, etc.).
  31. article.  Populations have disappeared in the restoration and nature (reintroduction) to the Latvian nature wildlife introduction (introduction) requires the protection of the environment and regional development Ministry.
  32. article. (1) the collection of wild animals (zoos, animal parks, Aquarium, terrarium, etc.) consists of scientific, educational and conservation purposes.
(2) the collections of wild animals may only be created with the protection of the environment and regional development Ministry permission and state veterinary service.
  33. article.  The owner of wild animals need legislation that document the origin of each animal (a legitimate acquisition).
  34. article. Collection of wild animals is the responsibility of the owner of the cause of each species of animals in their natural environment conditions and to ensure the approximation of each species of animal physiological and zoopsiholoģisk needs.
  35. article. Wild animals may be imported into the country and leave the country only with the protection of the environment and regional development Ministry permission, as well as respecting the State veterinary service.
Chapter VII protection of animals during transport article 36.  (1) the animal is transported in suitable means of ensuring its health conditions.
(2) if necessary, before or during transport animals can enter a soothing medicinal products pursuant to the instructions of the official veterinarian practicing.

  37. article. The animal's owner or his authorized person responsible for compliance with the legal requirements of the animals during transport.
  38. article. (1) animals being transported to customs control.
(2) prevent the transport of animals is allowed only for the benefit of animals or in cases where the suspected cases of animal infectious diseases.
Chapter VIII the animal shelters and animal hotels article 39.  Establish and maintain local animal shelters, as well as contracts with the legal or natural person, under the supervision of existing animal shelters for stray animal accommodation and care.
  40. article. Shelter must prevent the reproduction of animals.
  Article 41.  (1) the shelter must give up the animal to a person who has reached the age of 18 and undertake to ensure the welfare of the animal.
(2) may give shelter only sterilized animals, except to breed animals that demonstrate the variety of documents.
(3) information about the owner of the animal the next shelter saves no less than one year.
  Article 42.  Shelter next to the owner of the animal provides information about animal behavior and care.
  43. article.  The animal's owner will be for a fixed period of time to leave the animals in the care of animal hotel.
Chapter IX, article 44 of killing the animals. It is prohibited to kill animals. Prohibition does not apply to: 1) the slaughter of farm animals;
2) animal euthanasia;
3) hunting;
4);
5 harmful rodents and insects) destruction;
6) when the animal directly endangers human or animal health or life;
7) where killing animals for infectious disease eradication programme;
8) experiments and scientific purposes, the killing of animals used, if provided for experimental purposes.  
  Article 45. Animals may be killed only by the permission of the owner of the animal (in the case of euthanasia written permission), with the exception of this law article 44 paragraph 6 and 7 in certain cases.
  Article 46. The animal is killed selectable way that causes the least suffering for the animals.
  47. article. Livestock may be killed, if: 1) it's grown for human consumption in animal food production and feedstock production;
2 it does not hold) the animal productivity become uneconomical;
3) animal death threat due to sickness or injury;
4) it is for infectious disease control programme.
   48. article.  Farm animals may be slaughtered without stunning, in an emergency, as well as the case where the sickness or injury of the animal's possible death.
  49. article.  Pregnant livestock of intentional slaughter is prohibited, except in certain cases of a practicing veterinarian.
  50. article. Animal euthanasia is allowed to make, if: 1) is not curable disease;
2) in the ageing process it has incurred irreversible health changes;
3) because of his aggressiveness animals become dangerous to humans or other animals;
4) it is for infectious disease eradication programme;
5) requested by the owner of the animal;
6) this is stray or confiscated animal and within 14 days you do not find the previous owner or a new master.
  51. article. Animal euthanasia shall be a practicing veterinarian.
  52. article. (1) Euthanasia is used for medicinal, which causes immediate and irreversible loss of consciousness and death.
(2) a veterinarian practicing euthanasia should make sure that organic animals causing death.
Transitional provision the Person who owned the entry into force of this law, at the time referred to in article 16, should not allow this animal reproduction and to 1 July 2000 provides for the keeping of wild animals in the collection, but if this is not possible, euthanasia.
The law shall enter into force on 1 January 2000.
The law, adopted in 1999 the Saeima on 9 December.
 
State v. President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga in Riga in 1999 on December 29.