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Scales of Justice: In Zurich, Even Fish Have a Lawyer:

ZURICH—Last month, Antoine Goetschel went to court here in defense of an unusual client: a 22-pound pike that had fought a fisherman for 10 minutes before surrendering.

Mr. Goetschel is the official animal lawyer for the Swiss canton of Zurich, a sort of public defender who represents the interests of pets, farm animals and wildlife. He wound up with the pike as a client when animal-welfare groups filed a complaint alleging animal cruelty in the fish's epic battle with an amateur angler.

The case emerged after a local newspaper photo showed the fisherman proudly showing off the four-foot-long fish—a scene that, to Mr. Goetschel, was reminiscent of a safari hunter with his foot perched on the head of a dead lion. "It is this Hemingway thinking," he says. "Why should this be legal when other animals have to be slaughtered in a humane way?"

Mr. Goetschel is the only official animal lawyer in Switzerland, but that may be about to change. On Sunday, the Swiss will vote on a referendum that would compel all of Switzerland's cantons to hire animal lawyers. The rationale: If people accused of mistreating animals can hire lawyers, the victims of such abuse are also entitled to representation.

The Swiss government is urging voters to reject the referendum, arguing the money should instead go to uncovering animal abuse. Switzerland's farm lobby is against the proposal and argues that farmers are already closely monitored by state veterinarians.

To make their case, the referendum's supporters have thrown the spotlight on Mr. Goetschel, a voluble 51-year-old attorney and descendant of composer Sergei Rachmaninoff who has held the Zurich post since 2007 and who represented the pike.

Juggling a private practice with his cantonal job, for which he is paid by the hour, Mr. Goetschel handles about 180 animal cases a year. He points to stiff fines he has won—such as an 8,800-franc ($8,200) fine for a farmer who kept a dozen sheep underfed and without water.