Animal Cruelty: What Is It, Types & How to Report Animal Cruelty

Untreated wounds are a red flag that demand immediate attention; emaciation, scabs and hair loss can also be a sign of untreated diseases. If you can, alert the owner to the animal’s condition and alert local authorities of suspected neglect as soon as possible. The ASPCA shares your concern about the media’s depiction of violence and cruelty toward animals for entertainment purposes. Please know, however, that many of these instances are constitutionally protected free speech—and may not even involve a real animal.

In between these two extremes are thousands more examples because society has seen and treated animals as expendable ‘things’ for a very long time. This refers to neglect that causes Animal Cruelty suffering, such as failing to get treatment for a sick animal in your care or failing to keep domesticated animals safe from predators. To report animal cruelty seen online you can file a report with the Internet Crime Complain Center. You can report to the center whether you live within the US or abroad, as long as the suspected abuser resides within the United States.

Is Animal Cruelty Illegal?

Have enacted animal cruelty laws that also include felony provisions since 2014. Though neglecting to feed a dog or neutering a cat without pain management would be considered illegal, these and more are considered common practice within various animal agriculture industries. The animals that we eat and force to produce our food experience horrific suffering, many from the moment that they are born until the day that they die.

• Breed ManipulationFor centuries, humans have selectively bred dogs to bring about certain desired traits.
• It’s important to understand that animal cruelty extends beyond domestic animals and covers everything from wild animals and farm animals to circus animals and laboratory animals.
• We have to prioritise cases of cruelty and neglect where our specialist skills are required.
• Looking for cruelty-free products and eating a more plant-based diet helps reduce animal cruelty by limiting the number of animals suffering in labs for the production of cosmetics or on factory farms for food.

Chimpanzees are family animals and need to live in groups of 15 – 150. Each year, nearly 10 billion animals are killed in U.S. slaughterhouses, which means over 18,825 animals are killed every minute. With the exception of Iowa, the remaining 49 US states have felony-based punishments for first-time animal torture and abuse offenses. This study stated that animal brutality is often seen in young, poor men with a family history of antisocial behavior.

Animal Abuse by Sexually Abused Children Is Five times More Likely (Researchgate.net)

According to the Humane League, they are bred to grow rapidly to be turned into products as quickly as possible. A study found that children who live in violent homes are three times more likely to abuse animals. Child sexual abuse victims are five times more likely to abuse and kill animals. Parrots and other exotic birds are the largest representation of captive wild animals.

If you do not receive a response from the officer assigned to your case within a reasonable length of time, it is okay to make a polite follow-up call to inquire about the progress of the investigation. Cruelty towards animals protected under the Animal Welfare Act (2015) is punishable by a fine of 20–100,000 ringgit and/or imprisonment of up to three years. Raghid surrendered both puppies to law enforcement at the time of seizure. They are both available for adoption through the Town of Brookhaven Animal Shelter. However, the injured puppy must first undergo significant rehabilitative surgery for its injuries.

Animal fighting, in which animals are trained or forced to attack each other in violent confrontations at the risk of grave injury or death, is another form of animal cruelty. One trait that has been correlated with animal abuse is domestic violence. One study that included 130 participants who accessed women’s support services in Ecuador found that 70 percent of the pet-owning women’s most recent partners had abused their animals. Serious abuse such as drowning, breaking bones, or even killing their pet was reported by 16 percent of women. In 75 percent of cases in which serious animal abuse was taking place, the abuse toward the participant had also been of a serious nature. When we think of animal abuse we tend to have a picture in our mind of what an animal abuser looks like, where they come from, where they live, and how they act.

If you want to lodge a complaint about a local shelter or rescue group, bring your concern directly to the person in charge of that organization, since they are in the best position to understand the issue and make change. As a national animal advocacy organization, the HSUS doesn’t operate or oversee local shelters or rescue groups. We are neither a parent or chapter organization for any local shelter, nor an inspection agency. Each shelter and rescue group is an independent organization governed by its own board of directors or local officials, and each group sets its own policies and rules.

Accumulated faeces and urine – which often cover every surface in hoarders’ residences – can create dangerously high ammonia levels, which can burn skin, eyes and lungs. Parasite infestations and disease outbreaks spread quickly in these crowded conditions. Food and water are usually inadequate – if they are provided at all.

Indeed one of the key factors in preventing cruelty to animals is stronger anti-cruelty state and local laws. Laws that not only empower effective enforcement and conviction but include harsh penalties. Cosmetic surgery on animals is becoming more contentious, with animal welfare organizations opposing this type of surgery.

Reported Animal Cruelty Cases Tripled Between 2016 to 2017 (American Veterinary Medical Association)

The new figures indicate a huge decrease in demand, sparing millions of mink from suffering and death, which were previously used for hat poms or fur trim on gloves and shoes. For the 10th consecutive year, human medications are the top toxin reported, with over-the-counter (OTC) drugs accounting for nearly 17% of the APCC’s calls. Approximately 4.8 million animals are adopted from shelters annually. However, 6.5 million animals (earlier, 6.3 million) enter the shelter system every year, which means that animal shelters are becoming more overcrowded.

However, such is the low status of animals in our society that few are ever jailed. They try to help every animal in need but before they know it they have become part of the problem. Their homes fill up, and they are unable to give their charges the individual care they need and deserve. Every year, 3.500 hoarders in the US come to the attention of the authorities. In the United States, 69 million households have a dog, 45 million have a cat, and 3.5 million have birds.