The paper examines the terms used to signify the concept of ANIMAL in two Slavic language versions of the EU acquis: Bulgarian and Polish. In addition, English terminology is included in the analysis regarding its impact on the process of terminology development in other modern languages. The terms coined to express the notion of ANIMAL are studied within the limits of the so-called system group, i.e., the collection of terminological units (words and phrases) in which common semantic and/or formal element ‘animal’ can be discovered (e.g. animal, experimental or laboratory animals, animal welfare, species, population, breeding females, seal pups etc.). Both collective and individual terms for designating certain aspects of the concept ANIMAL are analyzed. The conclusion of the research brings together the linguistic features of the contemporary animal-related terminology as well as the society’s attitudes towards animals fixed in the selected Bulgarian and Polish languages for specific purposes. This can be viewed as a linguistic contribution to the development of human-animal studies.