In 2003, the
Sexual Offences Act 2003 lowered the criminal penalty of bestiality in the United Kingdom from life in prison to two years in prison.
[28]
In 2006, Denmark's Council for Animal Ethics said there was no need to ban bestiality unless it took place in pornographic films or sex shows. Only one of the 10 members of the council, set up by the Danish Justice Ministry to establish and uphold animal ethics, wanted bestiality expressly prohibited. The other members said current laws provided enough animal protection.
[29] Denmark outlawed bestiality in 2015 after all parties except the
Liberal Alliance voted in support of a ban, leaving Hungary, Finland and Romania as the only European Union countries without bans on bestiality.
[30]
During the 21st century, zoophilia was re-criminalized in the following countries or territories:
Iowa (illegal since 2001),
[31] Maine (illegal since 2001),
[32] Oregon (illegal since 2001),
[33] Illinois (illegal since January 1, 2003),
[34][35] Maryland (illegal since October 1, 2002),
[36][37] South Dakota (illegal since July 1, 2003),
[38][39][40] France (illegal since March 10, 2004),
[41] Washington (illegal since June 7, 2006),
[42][43] Arizona (illegal since September 21, 2006),
[44][45][46] Belgium (illegal since May 11, 2007),
[47][48][49] Colorado (illegal since July 1, 2007),
[50][51][52] Indiana (illegal since July 1, 2007),
[53][54] Tennessee (illegal since July 1, 2007),
[55][56] Netherlands (illegal since 2010),
[57] Norway (illegal since January 1, 2010),
[58] Alaska (illegal since September 13, 2010),
[59][60] Australian Capital Territory (illegal since 2011),
[61] Florida (illegal since October 1, 2011),
[62][63][64] Germany (illegal since 2013),
[65] Sweden (illegal since January 1, 2014),
[66] and
Denmark (illegal since April 2015).
[30]
When Germany passed a law banning zoophilia in 2013, the zoophile community protested and filed a suit against the government saying the law violated their rights. A few months later, ZETA, a German zoophile-rights group, put together a march that would make its way through the street of Berlin.