What you should know about victims of animal abuse and legislative developments.
The startling number of cases of animal abuse that are reported on a daily basis is only the tip of the iceberg; the majority of cases go unreported. It is challenging to determine the exact amount of animal abuse since, unlike violent crimes against people, no state or federal agency keeps track of these occurrences. Nonetheless, we are able to comprehend and stop abuse incidents by using the knowledge that is already available.
Who mistreats animals?
Animal abuse is reported in the media to occur often in both rural and urban regions, and cruelty and neglect are crimes that transcend all social and economic lines.
There is a strong link between intentional animal cruelty and other crimes, such as aggression against people.
Hoarding tendencies may lead to the abuse of animals. When someone has a hoarding condition, they may severely neglect animals by housing far more than they can reasonably care for. Hoarding and other forms of severe animal neglect are frequently signs that a person needs social or mental health care.
According to surveys, men under 30 are more likely than women over 60 to purposefully mistreat animals, although hoarding animals is more common among women.
The Most Frequent Victims
The most frequently reported animal abuse cases involve dogs, cats, horses, and cattle. The factory farm sector is rife with animal maltreatment, according to undercover investigations. But only the most horrific cases are documented, and very few are ever convicted due to the limited safeguards state cruelty laws offer to animals.
Institutionalized Brutality
Owing to official corruption, organized animal cruelty, including dogfighting and cockfighting, coexists with other crimes in many parts of the United States.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has brought charges in many cases involving drug cartels that were distributing drugs through dogfighting and cockfighting enterprises.
There have been numerous killings at dogfights and cockfights.
A dispute over a $10 cockfight wager led to the death of a guy from California.
The HSUS’s investigation unit takes on complacent public servants and has collaborated with the FBI on instances involving governmental corruption in Virginia and Tennessee. Law enforcement officials were charged and found guilty in both cases.
Relationship animal abuse and domestic abuse
A startling proportion of animals are the target of abusers of their spouses or children, according to data on
domestic violence and child abuse cases.
In the United States, there are about 70 million pet dogs and 74.1 million pet cats, and every minute, 20 men and women are beaten (about 10 million on average annually).
According to a poll, 71% of victims of domestic abuse stated that their abuser also targeted their pets.
Researchers discovered that 88% of the families under supervision for physical abuse of their children had experienced pet abuse. The study involved families under investigation for suspected child abuse.
The Humane Society Legislative Fund supports the Pets and Women’s Safety (PAWS) Act in order to end this pattern of violence. It was first proposed in Congress in 2015 as H.R. 1258 and S.B. 1559 and was later implemented as a part of the agriculture bill that Congress passed and President Trump signed into law in 2018. When the PAWS Act is fully implemented, it will assist victims of domestic abuse in finding ways to leave their abusers while ensuring the protection of their companion animals. Many victims choose to stay in abusive homes out of concern for the safety of their animals.
State Legislative Trends
The HSUS has long led the push for stronger animal cruelty laws and provides training for law officials to detect and prosecute these crimes. With South Dakota joining the fight in March of 2014, animal cruelty laws now include felony provisions in all 50 states.
First vs. subsequent offense
Given that only a fraction of animal cruelty acts are reported or successfully prosecuted, we are committed to supporting felony convictions in cases of severe cruelty.
49 states have laws to provide felony penalties for animal torture on the first offense.
Only Iowa doesn’t have such a law.
Animal cruelty laws typically cover intentional and egregious animal neglect and abuse.
Changes in Federal Tracking
On January 1, 2016, the FBI added cruelty to animals as a category in the Uniform Crime Report, a nationwide crime reporting system commonly used in homicide investigations. While only about a third of U.S. communities currently participate in the system, the data generated will help create a clearer picture of animal abuse and guide strategies for intervention and enforcement. Data collection covers four categories: simple/gross neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organized abuse (such as dogfighting and cockfighting), and animal sexual abuse.Always report any concerns or signs of an animal being abused!