Imagine this: You walk into a courtroom and find a pig on trial, or see a swarm of insects accused of destroying crops. As bizarre as it sounds, this actually happened—especially in Europe between the 13th and 18th centuries. During this time, animals weren’t just farm creatures or pets. They could also be called to court, tried for crimes, and even sentenced like humans. From rats to roosters, the animal kingdom saw its share of legal drama.
In 1386, in the French town of Falaise, a pig was put on trial for attacking a child. The court proceedings were eerily similar to a human trial. The pig was dressed in human clothes, had a lawyer, and was ultimately found guilty. It was sentenced to death and executed publicly. Strange as it sounds now, people at the time believed that animals should be held responsible if they harmed humans—especially if those animals were seen to behave with intent.
But pigs weren’t the only creatures in the dock. In 15th-century France, a town once took legal action against rats. These rats were accused of eating all the barley in the barns. A lawyer named Barthélemy de Chasseneuz was appointed to defend the rats—and he did a brilliant job. He argued that the rats had not received proper notice of the trial and were afraid to appear in court because of the cats in town. This may sound like a joke, but the case was taken seriously by everyone involved.
In the 16th century, French lawyer Barthélemy de Chasseneuz famously defended rats accused of eating the local grain. He argued that they had the right to a fair trial and that their absence in court was because travelling to the courthouse would be dangerous — due to the presence of cats!
In Switzerland, a similar case involved leeches. In the 18th century, a court in Lausanne ruled that a swarm of leeches invading a lake must leave within three days. The verdict was even read aloud in Latin and thrown into the lake in the hope the leeches would obey. Spoiler alert: they didn’t.
It wasn’t just about animals being harmful. In some cases, the court believed that animals were agents of the devil. In 1474, a rooster in Basel, Switzerland, was put on trial for laying an egg. Roosters don’t lay eggs, of course, so townspeople thought this must be the work of dark magic. The unlucky bird was found guilty of being in league with the devil and was burnt at the stake.
These animal trials may seem foolish to us today, but they reflected how people at the time understood the world. Animals were seen as part of society, and when something went wrong, someone—or something—had to be held responsible. The legal system wasn’t just about justice; it was also about making sense of disasters, diseases, or deaths that had no clear explanation.
In another strange case, termites in 18th-century Brazil were taken to court for destroying a church. The court ordered the termites to move to another location. Surprisingly, monks even left out wood in a different spot, hoping to encourage the termites to relocate peacefully. Of course, the termites didn’t turn up to court—but the legal records of the case still exist.
Sometimes the animal “defendants” were represented by real human lawyers. These weren’t joke lawyers—they were actual legal experts who prepared arguments, presented evidence, and even cross-examined witnesses. They defended pigs, goats, rats, and even insects with clever reasoning. Many of these lawyers believed that these trials had moral or spiritual value, even if they didn’t always make sense.
Meant to scare people
One theory is that these trials were symbolic. By making a public example of a pig or rat, society could reaffirm its values, restore order, or deal with its fears. In some cases, these trials were probably meant to scare people more than animals. They showed that no one—not even a rooster—could escape punishment if they crossed the line.
Not all animal trials ended in guilty verdicts. In a few cases, animals were declared innocent and released. In others, the court gave them time to “reform.” For example, in Italy, weasels accused of stealing food were once told to leave the area—but kindly allowed to take their young with them.
Today, animal trials are no longer a part of legal systems. Modern science and ethics have changed how we view animals. We understand that animals act out of instinct, not malice, and it would be unfair to hold them to the same standards as humans. But these old trials remain fascinating reminders of how far we've come in our understanding of the natural world.
They also show that history isn’t just about kings and wars—it’s full of unexpected stories where even a pig or a termite could become a headline. So the next time your dog chews your homework, be grateful you don’t live in medieval France. You might’ve had to take him to court.
Courts debated insect ‘intent’
In some 16th-century Swiss cases, judges debated whether locusts or caterpillars were willfully destroying crops or merely acting on instinct. This legal question of “intent” was surprisingly serious and debated in church-based courts.
The Weevils of St Julien
In 1587, weevils were brought to trial for destroying vineyards in France. A lawyer was appointed to represent them. His argument? The weevils were God's creatures and had a right to live and eat. The judge suggested setting aside land for the pests — an early version of pest relocation!
Animals were given legal rights before some humans
In medieval times, animals involved in crimes were granted certain legal rights, like having a lawyer, formal hearings, and even trials in public. These protections were extended to livestock centuries before some human groups gained equal legal rights.
Legal documents still exist
Many of these bizarre trials were documented carefully. Court records from the Middle Ages reveal detailed legal arguments, witness statements, and official verdicts against animals.