Animals’ Ethics in the Light of the Idea of Sustainable Development

The article is an attempt to present historical and cultural sources of animals’ ethics. In chronological order the premythological, mythological, religious and philosophical statuses of animals are presented. Only the first of which is wholly the practical status. The rest of them are theoretical, each presents ‘superior cause’ for treating animals in specific culture. Presently we are in situation in which our ethical relation towards animals is determined by their practical importance. The idea of sustainable development may become significant remedy programme for such issue, if only it would be able to generate within its integral proposition a new theoretical (philosophical) animals’ status based on modern biological studies (ethological, sociobiological, genetical).