Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma be predisposed to OPA. Most affected sheep show signs at 2 to 4 years of age. OPA is not a notifiable disease, and therefore it is difficult to assess its prevalence. OPA was first described in the UK in 1888, and described in detail in South Africa in 1891. The disease was initially known as "jaagsiekte" , a word derived from Afrikaans, meaning "chasing sickness," so called because animals are in respiratory distress as if they are out of breath from being chased. It has also been known as sheep pulmonary adenomatosis and ovine pulmonary carcinoma. OPA has been used
Animal law and using the law to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals. In the Swiss canton of Zurich an animal lawyer, Antoine Goetschel, was employed by the canton government to represent the interests of animals in animal cruelty cases from 2007 to 31 December 2010, when the Zurich Animal Advocate position was abolished. In this capacity, Goetschel attempted to ensure that Swiss animal protection laws, which are among the strictest in the world, were correctly enforced. The UK Centre for Animal Law (A-law) is the UK's leading animal law charity. It publishes "The UK Journal of Animal Law"