In which European country is bestiality legal?

Ok, deep breath. You’re going to need it.

Germany’s coalition government has announced plans to outlaw bestiality (the practice of humans having sex with animals).

Yes, that does mean that you can currently have sex with an animal in Germany. An EU country. In 2012.

Let’s all take a moment to pick our jaws off the floor and let that sink in.

Bestiality ceased being a criminal offence in Germany in 1969. There are some restrictions: Although the actual act of having sex with animals is not illegal, Germany bans the use of animals for the creation of pornography and there are restrictions on bestiality when “significant harm” is inflicted on the animal.

The renewed debate over a ban is in response to a growth in animal ‘pimping’, where animals are farmed and sold for the purpose of zoophilia. There have also been reports of ‘erotic zoos’, which turn zoophilia into a lucrative tourism opportunity for Germany, one of the few countries where the practice is still permitted.

The proposed changes to the law will shift the focus from determining whether harm was inflicted to forcing animals to engage in “actions alien to the species.”

But not everyone is happy about these changes FUNNILY ENOUGH. This from the Huffington Post:

Pro-zoophilia campaign group ZETA (Zoophiles Commitment to Tolerance and Enlightenment) says it will legally challenge the ban.

Zeta Chairman Michael Kiok, who lives with his dog Cessy, estimates the number of zoophiles in Germany to be at 100,000, and insists he does not engage in any activities which harm animals.

He told Taz.de: “Sex is not just penetration. You can masturbate the animal, lick his hand or lick or leave.

“Animals are much easier to understand that, say women.”

We have chosen not to include images of some of the men

The ‘disgusting’ descriptor does not even remotely suffice.

Editor’s Note: Mamamia has chosen not to include images of the disturbingly ordinary looking men, who appear on the Huffington Post alongside the stomach turning descriptions of the animals they claim to have ‘affairs’ with including dolphins, goats, miniature donkeys.