west highland terrier puppy
It's no longer legal to have sex with animals in Denmark Wei-Hang Chua/Flickr

Denmark passed legislation on 21 April that bans bestiality in the country, following pressure from animal rights groups.

The latest bill amends the last ban, which only prohibited intercourse that harmed the animals. Danish Farm minister Dan Jorgensen argued this was hard to prove and therefore all sex with animals should be banned in Denmark.

In banning bestiality outright, Denmark has flowed in the footsteps of Norway, Sweden and Germany. A similar law was dropped a few years ago but it has now been passed by the Danish parliament.

"The current legislation does not protect the animals enough. It's hard to prove that an animal suffers when a human has sexual intercourse with it, and that is why we must give the animal the benefit of the doubt," Jorgensen wrote in an op-ed.

"There are frequent reports of the occurrence of organised animal sex shows, clubs and animal brothels in Denmark," said the Danish Ethical Council for Animals in a report, although it said the reports had not been verified.

A Gallup poll in 2014 showed three quarters of the population supported an outright ban on bestiality. Now the majority of Danes will see their will enforced by the courts.