Animals in legal history

Beheaded sparrows and hanged dogs – unthinkable? Not for the “animal criminals” of previous centuries. This area of the exhibition will transport you to a strange period of animal trials and punishment. Lifelike taxidermy and first-class exhibits tell the tale of animals as defendants as well as punishments involving animals.

However, the relationship between animals and humans is one that we encounter in more than just a criminal context. How did people deal with the everyday dangers presented by animals? How did they protect the natural world, which was often essential to their livelihoods?