Which country enacted the first legislation on preventing animal cruelty in the world and when?

——The first appearance of legal regulations

The world’s first anti-animal cruelty law was stipulated in the British Colonial Code of Massachusetts in 1641: “Any Animals that are commonly raised for human use should not be treated in any cruel way."

——The first specific act

In 1822, the "Animal Cruelty Act" proposed by the British humanist Charlie Martin was successfully passed by the British Parliament, and the world emerged. The first law against human cruelty to animals. Two years later, the British established the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Since then, the practice of animal legislation has rapidly expanded to other European countries. France, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands and other countries have successively established animal protection associations and promulgated animal protection laws.

The latter should have greater academic value. The former is a colonial act after all. In short, the founding country must be Britain~