O processo dos bichos: ensino e aplicação do direito animal

Abstract

The strengthening of ethical awareness and animal protection movements has generated a social demand for more adequate legal treatment of non-human animals, one that transcends the view of animals as mere objects before the law. In this context, Animal Law emerges as an autonomous and essential legal discipline, focusing on the animal as an individual, based on the recognition of their sentience, dignity, and intrinsic value. This research aimed to develop and validate an innovative educational product: an e-book titled “O Processo dos Bichos: Ensino e Aplicação do Direito Animal” (“The Animals' Trial: Teaching and Applying Animal Law”), designed for the complementary training and professional practice of legal operators and animal rights activists. The theoretical and methodological foundation articulated core concepts and principles of Animal Law, fundamentals of Andragogy, and non-formal education for adults. The educational product was developed through a planned structure organized around five complementary axes – Doctrine, Legislation, Case Studies, Jurisprudence, and Legal Practice – thereby materializing a cohesive learning ecosystem aligned with the instructional design principles proposed by Filatro (2008). The methodological procedures involved sequential planning stages, including literature review, product design requirements gathering, content elaboration, artistic production, graphic design, and finally, a validation process by Specialized Judges. A requirements analysis, conducted through semi-structured interviews with 39 members of the Animal Rights Defense Commission of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), identified a professional preference for digital materials, such as e-books and didactic guides, for agile and practical consultation. The visual architecture of the work, conceived as a priority element, was originally designed by communication scientist and filmmaker Victória Pinto Teixeira using Adobe Illustrator (2025) and Canva software, ensuring a unique and consistent visual identity from the first to the last page. Content validation involved 11 Specialized Judges from legal fields correlated with Animal Law and from animal activism, who evaluated the material through a form (Google Forms) with open and closed questions based on a Likert scale. For the analysis of quantitative data, the procedure involved calculating the Content Validity Index (CVI) and applying the Learning Object Review Instrument (LORI) method. The results validated the e-book across all criteria, with a CVI equal to or greater than 0.70, in addition to written recommendations (qualitative data) that supported the final refinement of the work. It is concluded that the developed product holds social and technical relevance, addressing an educational gap in a field still under consolidation in Brazil, with demonstrated potential to qualify professional and activist practice, and its approach is suitable for replication on a national scale.Keywords: