Medicolegal Investigation

Veterinary Expert: Legal Nature and Responsibility

“…The conducted research allowed the conclusion that the term “expert witness” is widely abused [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ]. The nomenclature “expert witness” greatly (and faultily) influences the perceptions of experts in the Anglophone world.…”

“…Many authors, as well as professional legislators, seem to be trapped in their linguistic imaginings, and—despite noticing and demonstrating fundamental differences—still place the expert opinion on par with evidence given by a factual witness [ 1 , 4 , 10 , 13 , 36 , 37 , 39 ].…”

“…A veterinary expert’s opinion differs from factual evidence to the same extent. Indeed, these differences are so profound that they can be indicated without any doubt [ 10 , 13 , 36 , 37 ], so it was decided not to repeat these arguments in the current work.…”

“…Becoming specialised is a result of differentiation, adopting a specific area of study and practice, e.g., veterinary surgery, canine diseases, cariology, or neurology [ 44 ]. It should be noted that in most jurisdictions, there is no separate postgraduate specialisation in forensic veterinary medicine or forensic veterinary pathology [ 1 , 21 , 36 , 43 ].…”

“…The term “veterinary forensic medicine” should also be understood similarly to the definition of the veterinary proficient. It covers any usage of veterinary medicine for the purpose of the law [ 1 , 36 ].…”