The first text of the Universal Declaration of animal rights, which was promoted by the International League of Animal Rights, was presented in public in 1978. After suffering several changes and modifications, it was sent on several occasions to the UNESCO for approval. However, the approval has not happened. This fact does not diminish neither the validity nor the importance of the Declaration and many of the rights included in its text are already part of the legislations of various countries.

En 1978 se presentó en público el primer texto de la Declaración Universal de los derechos del animal, promovida por la Liga Internacional de los Derechos de los Animales. Tras varios avatares y modificaciones se envió en varias ocasiones a la UNESCO para su aprobación. Sin embargo, esta no se ha materializado. Esta circunstancia no le resta validez ni importancia a la Declaración y muchos de los derechos recogidos en su texto ya forman parte de las legislaciones de diversos países.