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102 Cruelty to Animals Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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Title: 102 Cruelty to Animals Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Introduction:

Cruelty to animals is a distressing global issue that requires immediate attention. Writing an essay on this topic raises awareness, educates readers, and encourages them to take action against animal abuse. In this article, we present 102 cruelty to animals essay topic ideas and examples to help students, writers, and activists express their thoughts effectively.

• The impact of factory farming on animal welfare.
• The psychological consequences of animal cruelty on children.
• Animal experimentation: Finding alternative methods for scientific research.
• The connection between animal abuse and domestic violence.
• The role of the media in exposing and preventing animal cruelty.
• The ethical implications of using animals in entertainment industries.
• The importance of stricter animal cruelty laws and their enforcement.
• The impact of illegal wildlife trade on endangered species.
• The correlation between animal abuse and serial killers.
• The role of education in preventing cruelty to animals.
• The use of animals in circuses: Should it be banned?
• The impact of climate change on animal habitats.
• The role of animal shelters in combating cruelty and providing care.
• The effectiveness of therapy animals in healing trauma.
• The psychological benefits of adopting pets from shelters.
• The role of zoos in conservation efforts and animal welfare.
• The connection between animal cruelty and psychological disorders.
• The ethical implications of using animals for fur and leather production.
• The impact of deforestation on wildlife and biodiversity.
• The consequences of illegal poaching on wildlife populations.
• The role of social media in raising awareness about animal cruelty.
• The impact of animal agriculture on greenhouse gas emissions.
• The ethical concerns surrounding animal testing in the cosmetic industry.
• The impact of puppy mills on animal health and well-being.
• The connection between animal cruelty and youth delinquency.
• The role of legislation in preventing animal cruelty.
• The consequences of animal abandonment and neglect.
• The impact of trophy hunting on endangered species.
• The ethical implications of using animals in fashion shows.
• The connection between animal cruelty and mental health disorders in abusers.
• The role of animal-assisted therapy in treating mental health conditions.
• The consequences of unethical breeding practices on animal health.
• The impact of dogfighting and cockfighting on animal welfare.
• The correlation between animal cruelty and elder abuse.
• The role of technology in preventing and reporting animal cruelty.
• The consequences of animal cruelty in the tourism industry.
• The ethical concerns surrounding horse racing and animal exploitation.
• The connection between animal cruelty and child abuse.
• The impact of invasive species on native wildlife.
• The consequences of animal cruelty in the entertainment industry.
• The role of animal rights organizations in combating cruelty.
• The ethical implications of using animals for scientific experiments.
• The connection between animal cruelty and gang activities.
• The impact of animal cruelty on ecosystems.
• The consequences of animal hoarding on animal welfare.
• The role of veterinary professionals in identifying and reporting animal abuse.
• The ethical concerns surrounding the use of animals in advertisements.
• The connection between animal cruelty and substance abuse.
• The impact of animal cruelty on wildlife tourism.
• The consequences of animal cruelty in the pet breeding industry.
• The role of artists in raising awareness about animal abuse.
• The ethical implications of using animals in rodeos.
• The connection between animal cruelty and school violence.
• The impact of animal cruelty on the extinction of endangered species.
• The consequences of animal cruelty in the fashion industry.
• The role of animal rescue organizations in saving and rehabilitating abused animals.
• The ethical concerns surrounding using animals for entertainment in theme parks.
• The connection between animal cruelty and hate crimes.
• The impact of animal cruelty on marine life.
• The consequences of animal cruelty in the fur trade industry.
• The role of animal therapy in supporting victims of trauma.
• The ethical implications of using animals in advertising campaigns.
• The connection between animal cruelty and mental health disorders in victims.
• The impact of animal cruelty on wildlife management practices.
• The consequences of animal cruelty in the exotic pet trade.
• The role of legislation in banning animal testing for cosmetics.
• The ethical concerns surrounding using animals for experimentation in laboratories.
• The connection between animal cruelty and human overpopulation.
• The impact of animal cruelty on the tourism industry.
• The consequences of animal cruelty in the food processing industry.
• The role of animal sanctuaries in providing refuge for abused animals.
• The ethical implications of using animals in television commercials.
• The connection between animal cruelty and social inequality.
• The impact of animal cruelty on species conservation efforts.
• The consequences of animal cruelty in the leather industry.
• The role of wildlife conservation organizations in preventing animal abuse.
• The ethical concerns surrounding using animals for military purposes.
• The connection between animal cruelty and poverty.
• The impact of animal cruelty on the destruction of natural habitats.
• The consequences of animal cruelty in the pet food industry.
• The role of social workers in identifying and addressing animal abuse cases.
• The ethical implications of using animals in magic shows.
• The connection between animal cruelty and human trafficking.
• The impact of animal cruelty on the spread of zoonotic diseases.
• The consequences of animal cruelty in the cosmetic industry.
• The role of animal-assisted interventions in improving mental health.
• The ethical concerns surrounding using animals for product testing.
• The connection between animal cruelty and environmental degradation.
• The impact of animal cruelty on eco-tourism.
• The role of animal welfare organizations in advocating for legislative changes.
• The ethical implications of using animals in theme parks.
• The connection between animal cruelty and social isolation.
• The impact of animal cruelty on the illegal wildlife trade.
• The consequences of animal cruelty in the circus industry.
• The role of veterinarians in reporting and preventing animal abuse.
• The ethical concerns surrounding using animals for military experiments.
• The connection between animal cruelty and addiction.
• The impact of animal cruelty on sustainable agriculture practices.
• The consequences of animal cruelty in the dairy industry.
• The role of law enforcement agencies in combating animal abuse.
• The ethical implications of using animals in rodeo events.

Conclusion:

Cruelty to animals is a pressing issue that demands attention at various levels. By discussing these 102 essay topic ideas and examples, individuals can raise awareness, promote empathy, and encourage action to protect animals from abuse. It is crucial to remember that every voice matters, and by joining forces, we can create a world where animals are treated with kindness, respect, and compassion.

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107 Animal Cruelty Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on animal cruelty, ✍️ animal cruelty essay topics for college, 🎓 most interesting animal cruelty research titles, 💡 simple animal cruelty essay ideas, ❓ animal cruelty research questions.

• Is Animal Testing Ethical: Essay Example
• Nestlé Animal Testing and Business Ethics
• Animal Testing: Benefits and Disadvantages
• The Animal Testing Problem
• The Animal Cruelty Issue and Its Causes
• The Use of Animals in Psychological Experiments
• Animal Experimentation: The Theory of Utilitarianism
• The Problem of Using Animals in Experimentation Testing on animals in the lab provides researchers with valuable knowledge regarding a particular disease, how it could be treated, and using which medicines.
• Animal Testing in the Modern World The current debate is on whether animal experiments have any value or they only amount to torturing animals to satisfy human curiosity.
• Animal Cruelty in Philosophers’ Arguments The given analysis will primarily address Kantian and Singer’s points of view on animal cruelty as well as Baier’s arguments on the unethicality of trust relationships.
• Protection of Animals and Humans From Cruelty The raft of recommendations on protecting animals and humans from cruelty can be strengthened in many ways based on the potential shortcoming.
• Should Animals Be Used for Scientific Experiments? Unfortunately, at the moment, the use of animals in science and medicine cannot be excluded entirely. However, it is possible to conduct experiments using mathematical models.
• Animal Testing: Finding an Alternative It is possible to find a less cruel alternative to animal testing in the context of present-day development. This paper reviews the supporting arguments for this position.
• Animal Testing and How It Should Continue It is essential to understand that animal testing should continue or find a new acceptable form as the possible benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
• The Controversies of Animal Testing The unbalanced ecosystem is probably the best-known and publicized example, with several others being primarily of ethical origin. Animal testing falls into this category.
• Animals Testing for Cosmetic or Medical Purposes Should Not Be Allowed Experiments on animals are not a valid method either for investigating the various causes of human diseases or for developing a treatment for them.
• Lab Experiment on Animals’ Taste or Smell Senses The hypothesis of the study is that taste perception and detection of different sugars by insects were similar to that of humans.
• Animal Testing: The Notion of the 21st Century Cruelty The paper names animal testing as one of the most vivid examples of cruelty, in terms of which animals are to suffer from medical or cosmetic experiments.
• Saving the Animals: Stop Animal Testing In the article, the author argues why animal testing should be banned and replaced with alternative research methods.
• Animal Testing in the Modern World Animal testing should be used for both commercial and scientific purposes as long as the outcome results in a direct benefit for humankind.
• The Ethical Side of Animal Testing In this article, the author reflects on the ethical nature of the use of animals as objects of scientific research.
• Ethics: Experiments on Animals Industrial and biomedical research is often painful and most of the test ends up killing the animals. Experiments such as these often incur the wrath of the animal rights movement.
• Animal Use in Scientific Testing Should Be Stopped Animals should not be used in scientific experimentation because it is unethical, dangerous, and unreliable and better alternatives exist.
• Save Animals: Experimentation Should Be Stopped The paper proves that animal experimentation should be stopped. It addresses statistical data and the outcomes of animal testing, offering possible solutions to the problem.
• Animal Experimentation: Arguments For and Against The controversy surrounding animal experimentation is a serious concern that should be addressed by considering views from both sides.
• Is a Vegetarian Diet Ethically Preferable? Ethical Theories Explained The ethical preference of a vegetarian diet may be proved with the theory if one considers the consequences of every person choosing to be vegetarian.
• Animal Testing and Alternatives Development Despite the concern voiced by its opponents, animal testing remains a viable practice that is both beneficial and important for humans and, to some degree, animals.
• Scientific Experiments on Animals from Ethical Perspectives This paper discusses using animals in scientific experiments from the consequentialist, Kantian deontological and Donna Yarri’s Christian character-based perspectives.
• Ethics of Using Animals in Medical Research: A Christian Perspective This paper explores how the principles of the character-based ethical approach can be applied to the discussion of using animals in the medical research and experiments.
• Law: Animal Testing Debates Cosmetics industry heavily employs animal testing. It is noteworthy that fighters for animals’ rights have managed to achieve a lot in their fight.
• Animal Testing: Use of Animal in Biomedical Research The research paper shall attempt to explore the reasons for and against the use of animal testing in biomedical research.
• Animal Testing: Evaluation, Prediction and Risk The issue of animal testing is a complex issue. The way animal testing is conducted is changing as animal-friendly groups are lobbying for a tougher control on the discipline.
• Ancient Rome’s Animal Cruelty for Entertainment in the Amphi-Theatre
• Childhood Animal Cruelty and Interpersonal Violence
• Animal Cruelty: Should Animals Be Treated With Dignity?
• Harsher Punishment for Perpetrators in Animal Cruelty Crimes
• Animal Cruelty Facts: Understanding the Law and the Link
• The Reasons Why Purchasing Meat Supports Animal Cruelty
• Animal Cruelty: Physical Abuse of Animal in Traditional Farm
• Physical and Environmental Signs of Animal Cruelty
• Associations Between Different Motivations for Animal Cruelty, Methods of Animal Cruelty, and Facets of Impulsivity
• Enforcing Sympathy: Animal Cruelty Doctrine After the Civil War
• What Does the Bible Say About Animal Cruelty?
• Animal Cruelty: Fights for Animal Rights – Help Them Living a Better Life
• The Link Between Domestic Violence and Abuse and Animal Cruelty in the Intimate Relationships of People of Diverse Genders
• Animal Abuse and Interpersonal Violence: The Cruelty Connection and Its Implications for Veterinary Pathology
• Animal Cruelty and Its Effect on Society
• Potential Causal Relationship Between Animal Cruelty and Family Violence
• Animal Cruelty and Public Health Hazards in the Factory Farming Industry
• Childhood Animal Cruelty Motives and Their Relationship to Recurrent Adult Interpersonal Crimes
• Just a Dog: Understanding Animal Cruelty and Ourselves
• Animal Cruelty Laws on Abuse, Torture, and Abandonment
• Why Animal Cruelty Should Receive Maximum Jail Time
• Animal Cruelty as a Sentinel for Human Violence
• 11 Signs of Animal Cruelty and How You Can Help
• Stopping Animal Testing and Vivisection by Passing a Bill Against Animal Cruelty
• Animal Cruelty: Early Signs of Violence
• Animal Cruelty and Domestic Violence
• Palliative Animal Law: The War on Animal Cruelty
• Getting Away With Animal Cruelty
• The Link Between Animal Cruelty and Violent Crime Victimization
• Animal Cruelty and Its Effects on Children
• Health, Environment Issues, and Being Against Animal Cruelty as the Major Reasons Why You Should Go Vegan
• Animal Cruelty and Testing in the United States
• Ways to Prevent Cruelty to Animals
• Animal Cruelty: A Serious Crime Leading to Horrific Outcomes
• The Fight Against Animal Cruelty
• Animal Cruelty: Pathway to Violence Against People
• What Is Animal Cruelty and What Are Its Main Types?
• How America Can Efficiently Solve the Problems of Animal Cruelty
• Animal Cruelty and Vital Aspect of Medical Advancement
• World Hunger, Animal Cruelty, and Animal Exploitation
• Risk Factors for the Development of Animal Cruelty
• Animal Cruelty as a Gateway Crime
• Humans Should Not Engage in Animal Cruelty
• Tougher Punishments for Animal Cruelty Crimes in England
• What Is the Most Common Animal Being Abused?
• Relationship Between Animal Cruelty and Antisocial Behaviors
• Animal Cruelty: Dog Fighting
• The Psychology of Animal Cruelty
• The Causes and Effects of Animal Cruelty
• Animal Cruelty: What Can We Do to Stop It?
• How Does Animal Cruelty Affect the Society?
• What Are the Effects of Animal Cruelty?
• How Many Types of Animal Cruelty Are There?
• What Is the Main Problem With Animal Cruelty?
• Is There the Link Between Animal Cruelty and Human Violence?
• What Causes Animal Cruelty?
• Why Is Factory Farming the Largest Cause of Animal Abuse in History?
• Is Animal Cruelty a Moral Issue?
• What Are the Main Types of Animal Cruelty?
• When Did Animal Cruelty Start?
• Is There a Punishment for Animal Cruelty?
• What Is the Largest Source of Animal Cruelty?
• Why Should We Avoid Animal Cruelty?
• How Can We Stop Animal Cruelty in India?
• What Is the Maximum Punishment for Animal Cruelty in the World?
• Is Animal Cruelty a Jail Sentence?
• What Will Happen if We Don’t Stop Animal Cruelty?
• Where Is Animal Cruelty Happening Most?
• What Is the Punishment for Animal Cruelty in India?
• Does Animal Cruelty Affect Humans?
• What State of the USA Has the Highest Rate of Animal Cruelty?
• Is Animal Cruelty a Social Justice Issue?
• What Are the Best Ways to Help Stop Animal Cruelty?
• How Does Animal Cruelty Affect the Environment?
• What Are the Acts of Cruelty to Animals?

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These essay examples and topics on Animal Cruelty were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

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• Access to Veterinary Care
• Animal Behavior
• Animal Cruelty
• Shelter-Related

Animal Cruelty Research

ASPCA research on animal cruelty and neglect, including dogfighting and hoarding, provides veterinary and behavior professionals, law enforcement, and prosecutors the information they need to identify and try cases properly. With key insights from the  ASPCA Veterinary Forensic Science Center  and the Behavioral Sciences Team, these studies represent groundbreaking research with the potential for vastly improving animal welfare.  

Cruelty and Neglect

Using Model Dogs to Assess Aggression in Fight-Bred Dogs

Review research by the ASPCA on using a life-sized, plush model dog to screen for dog-directed aggression in canines used in illegal dogfighting.

Insights and Resources on Improved Access to Grooming for Overall Animal Health

New research suggests education and access to grooming supplies can reduce negative pet health consequences of insufficient grooming care by identifying the communities' needs.

Factors Affecting Reporting and Recognizing Animal Cruelty by US Veterinary Professionals

ASPCA research suggests providing veterinary professionals with training on recognizing animal abuse and providing workplace policies on responding to suspected cruelty increases the likelihood they will notify authorities.

Organized Dogfighting and Canine Babesiosis

Discover the high-level results of an ASPCA study on canine Babesia gibsoni infections and dogfighting, including takeaways for veterinarians and other animal welfare professionals.

Differentiating Between Spontaneous and Organized Dogfighting Injuries

Learn the difference between injuries sustained from organized dogfighting and those sustained in spontaneous fights among pets.

Clinical Features and Outcomes of Strangulating Hair Mats in Dogs

Learn how forensic veterinarians studied the clinical features and radiographic characteristics of chronically matted hair and strangulating hair mats in dogs and what it might mean for practicing veterinarians.

Do Underweight Dogs Resource Guard More?

Discover the research results from an ASPCA study on food aggression in dogs who have experienced food scarcity.

Increase Access to Dog and Cat Grooming Services to Improve Animal Health

New research suggests increasing access to grooming resources could improve the lives of pets, pet owners, and veterinarians

Using B12 Supplementation to Improve Quality of Life in Dogs

ASPCA research shows a link between vitamin B12 deficiency and emaciated dogs. Supplementation of B12 may be a safe and low-cost method for improving quality of life.

Home — Essay Samples — Law, Crime & Punishment — Crime — Animal Cruelty

Essays on Animal Cruelty

Animal cruelty essay topics and outline examples, essay title 1: uncovering the horrors of animal cruelty: causes, consequences, and advocacy.

Thesis Statement: This research essay investigates the underlying causes of animal cruelty, its wide-ranging consequences on both animals and society, and the role of advocacy and legislation in combatting this issue.

• Introduction
• Defining Animal Cruelty: Types and Manifestations
• Root Causes: Psychological, Cultural, and Economic Factors
• Consequences for Animals: Physical and Psychological Effects
• Consequences for Society: Links to Violence and Societal Costs
• Advocacy Efforts: Organizations, Legislation, and Public Awareness
• Conclusion: The Ongoing Struggle Against Animal Cruelty

Essay Title 2: The Role of Animal Cruelty in the Food Industry: Factory Farming, Animal Testing, and Ethical Dilemmas

Thesis Statement: This research essay explores the ethical concerns surrounding animal cruelty within the food industry, including factory farming, animal testing, and the moral dilemmas faced by consumers.

• Factory Farming: Conditions, Treatment, and Implications for Food Production
• Animal Testing: Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Industries' Practices
• Consumer Choices: Ethical Dilemmas and Alternatives
• Regulatory Measures: Government Oversight and Public Pressure
• The Role of Activism: Raising Awareness and Promoting Ethical Consumption
• Conclusion: Balancing the Need for Progress with Ethical Considerations

Essay Title 3: Animal Cruelty in Entertainment: Exploring the Dark Side of Circuses, Zoos, and Exotic Pet Trade

Thesis Statement: This research essay delves into the ethical concerns surrounding animal cruelty in entertainment, focusing on circuses, zoos, and the exotic pet trade, and examining efforts to improve animal welfare in these industries.

• Circuses: Exploitation, Training Methods, and Public Awareness
• Zoos: Conservation vs. Captivity, Enrichment, and Advocacy
• Exotic Pet Trade: Legal and Illegal Aspects, Impact on Wildlife
• Advancements in Animal Welfare: Legislation and Changing Public Attitudes
• Case Studies: Success Stories and Ongoing Challenges
• Conclusion: The Ongoing Struggle to Improve Animal Welfare in Entertainment

The Different Types of Animal Cruelty

Animal abuse around the world, made-to-order essay as fast as you need it.

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The Issue of Mistreatment of Animals at Seaworld

Animal abuse: is cruelty to animals justifiable for serving mankind, the need to prevent animal abuse, the problem of human cruelty to animals, let us write you an essay from scratch.

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Animal Cruelty in Dog Fighting Across The World

Animal abuse and its negative effects, causes and effects of animal abuse: mistreatment of dogs, persuasive animal rights and the importance of treating animals with respect, get a personalized essay in under 3 hours.

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The Need for Strict Legal Punishment for Animal Abandonment

The reasons why animal testing should be stopped, the laws concerning animal abuse in the united states, why using animals for entertainment should be banned, problem of violence against animals, the link between the cruelty of animals and humans, the responsibilities of human beings to prevent cruelty to animals, using traps to hunt wolves and other animals is immoral and cruel, the forms of animal abuse in the united states, the power of change: how you can change the world, effects of separating animals during infancy from their mothers in factory farming, animal rights and welfare around the world, animal right: understanding the importance of keeping animals safe, animals should not be kept in captivity, arguments for eliminating the use of animal testing, discussion: should animals be used for scientific research, the arguments against keeping animals in captivity, reasons why animal testing should be forbidden, an analysis of the advertisement of the british columbia society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (bc spca), discussion whether animals testing is necessary.

Animal cruelty is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or harm upon any animal. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm or suffering for specific achievement, such as killing animals for entertainment; cruelty to animals sometimes encompasses inflicting harm or suffering as an end in itself, defined as zoosadism.

Industrial animal farming, fur industry, alleged link to human violence and psychological disorders, cultural rituals, television and filmmaking, circuses, animal fighting, rattlesnake round-ups, warfare, unnecessary scientific experiments or demonstrations, no pet policies and abandonment, hunting.

One animal is abused every minute. Dogs comprise 65% of all animals suffering abuse. Over 115 million animals – mice, rats, dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys, birds, among others – are killed in laboratory experiments worldwide for chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics testing every year. Every major circus that uses animals has been cited for violating the minimal standards of care set by the United States Animal Welfare (AWA).

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Animal cruelty facts and stats

What to know about animal abuse victims and legislative trends

The shocking number of animal cruelty cases reported every day is just the tip of the iceberg—most cases are never reported. Unlike violent crimes against people, cases of animal abuse are not compiled by state or federal agencies, making it difficult to calculate just how common they are. However, we can use the information that is available to try to understand and prevent cases of abuse.

Who abuses animals?

Cruelty and neglect cross all social and economic boundaries and media reports suggest that animal abuse is common in both rural and urban areas.

• Intentional cruelty to animals is strongly correlated with other crimes, including violence against people.
• Hoarding behavior often victimizes animals. Sufferers of a hoarding disorder may impose severe neglect on animals by housing far more than they are able to adequately take care of. Serious animal neglect (such as hoarding) is often an indicator of people in need of social or mental health services.
• Surveys suggest that those who intentionally abuse animals are predominantly men under 30, while those involved in animal hoarding are more likely to be women over 60.

Most common victims

The animals whose abuse is most often reported are dogs, cats, horses and livestock . Undercover investigations have revealed that animal abuse abounds in the factory farm industry. But because of the weak protections afforded to livestock under state cruelty laws, only the most shocking cases are reported, and few are ever prosecuted.

Organized cruelty

Dogfighting, cockfighting and other forms of organized animal cruelty go hand in hand with other crimes, and continues in many areas of the United States due to public corruption.

• The HSUS documented uniformed police officers at a cockfighting pit in Kentucky.
• The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has prosecuted multiple cases where drug cartels were running narcotics through cockfighting and dogfighting operations.
• Dozens of homicides have occurred at cockfights and dogfights.
• A California man was killed in a disagreement about a $10 cockfight bet .

The HSUS’s investigative team combats complacent public officials and has worked with the FBI on public corruption cases in Tennessee and Virginia. In both instances, law enforcement officers were indicted and convicted.

Correlation with domestic violence

Data on domestic violence and child abuse cases reveal that a staggering number of animals are targeted by those who abuse their children or spouses.

• There are approximately 70 million pet dogs and 74.1 million pet cats in the U.S. where 20 men and women are assaulted per minute (an average of around 10 million a year).
• In one survey, 71 % of domestic violence victims reported that their abuser also targeted pets.
• In one study of families under investigation for suspected child abuse, researchers found that pet abuse had occurred in 88 % of the families under supervision for physical abuse of their children.

To put a stop to this pattern of violence, the Humane Society Legislative Fund supported the Pets and Women’s Safety (PAWS) Act, introduced to Congress in 2015 as H.R. 1258 and S.B. 1559 and enacted as part of the farm bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump in 2018. Once fully enacted, the PAWS Act helps victims of domestic abuse find the means to escape their abusers while keeping their companion animals safe—many victims remain in abusive households for fear of their pets’ safety.

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 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.

We never know where disasters will strike or when animals may be in need of rescue, but we know we must be ready. Donate today to support all our lifesaving work. 

Animal Rights

About animal rights, narrow the topic.

• Articles & Videos
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• Do animals have rights?
• Is animal experimentation justified?
• Should animals be allowed to experience pain for medical research?
• Should animals be used for food?
• Is animal experimentation bad science?
• Should the fur industry be shut down?
• How should substances which may be harmful to human health, be tested?
• What is acceptable pain?
• What obligations do humans have to animals?
• Are there alternatives to using animals for research?
• Would the advances in treatments for diseases have been possible without using animals?
• Should technologies replace animal dissection in science classes?
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• Last Updated: Sep 11, 2024 2:17 PM
• URL: https://libguides.broward.edu/animal_rights

Articles on Animal cruelty

Displaying 1 - 20 of 34 articles.

In domestic violence cases, police are more likely to make arrests when pets are abused, too

Lynn Addington , American University

Is seeing believing? Not really, so animal welfare campaigns should take a different approach

Pablo P. Castello , Queen's University, Ontario

5 ways to make Christmas lunch more ethical this year

Rebecca Reynolds , UNSW Sydney

Lion farming in South Africa: fresh evidence adds weight to fears of link with illegal bone trade

Neil D’Cruze , University of Oxford and Angie Elwin , Manchester Metropolitan University

The war in Ukraine is powerfully magnifying our love for animals

Kendra Coulter , Brock University

Is the Melbourne Cup still the race that stops the nation – or are we saying #nuptothecup?

Alex Russell , CQUniversity Australia

Singapore approves cell-cultured chicken bites – who will be the first to try them?

Chris Bryant , University of Bath

People hate cruelty to animals, so why do we do it?

David Killoren , Australian Catholic University and Robert Streiffer , University of Wisconsin-Madison

Animals suffer for meat production – and abattoir workers do too

Tani Khara , University of Technology Sydney

Before you hit ‘share’ on that cute animal photo, consider the harm it can cause

Zara Bending , Macquarie University

Keeping monkeys as pets is extraordinarily cruel – a ban is long overdue

Alexander Piel , Liverpool John Moores University and Fiona Stewart , Liverpool John Moores University

Finding signs of happiness in chickens could help us understand their lives in captivity

Mary Baxter , Queen's University Belfast

‘Free Willy’ law spotlights contradictions in how Canadians see animal rights

Jodi Lazare , Dalhousie University

Why abusive husbands kick dogs but angry neighbors poison them

Laura A. Reese , Michigan State University

Why animal cruelty should become a matter for dedicated police units

New report shines light on who commits animal cruelty and how they are punished

Dr Paul McGorrery , Deakin University and Arie Freiberg , Monash University

Preventing animal cruelty is physically & emotionally risky for front-line  workers

No wonder fox hunting is still prevalent – the ban is designed to fail British wildlife

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Martha Nussbaum lays out ethical, legal case in new book

Martha Nussbaum

Excerpted from “Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility” by Martha C. Nussbaum, M.A. ’71, Ph.D. ’75

Animals are in trouble all over the world. Our world is dominated by humans everywhere: on land, in the seas, and in the air. No non-human animal escapes human domination. Much of the time, that domination inflicts wrongful injury on animals: whether through the barbarous cruelties of the factory meat industry, through poaching and game hunting, through habitat destruction, through pollution of the air and the seas, or through neglect of the companion animals that people purport to love.

In a way, this problem is age-old. Both Western and non-Western philosophical traditions have deplored human cruelty to animals for around two millennia. The Hindu emperor Ashoka (c. 304–232 bce), a convert to Buddhism, wrote about his efforts to give up meat and to forgo all practices that harmed animals. In Greece the Platonist philosophers Plutarch (46–119 ce) and Porphyry (c. 234–305 ce) wrote detailed treatises deploring human cruelty to animals, describing their keen intelligence and their capacity for social life, and urging humans to change their diet and their way of life. But by and large these voices have fallen on deaf ears, even in the supposedly moral realm of the philosophers, and most humans have continued to treat most animals like objects, whose suffering does not matter — although they sometimes make an exception for companion animals. Meanwhile, countless animals have suffered cruelty, deprivation, and neglect.

Because the reach of human cruelty has expanded, so too has the involvement of virtually all people in it. Even people who do not consume meat produced by the factory farming industry are likely to have used single-use plastic items, to use fossil fuels mined beneath the ocean and polluting the air, to dwell in areas in which elephants and bears once roamed, or to live in high-rise buildings that spell death for migratory birds. The extent of our own implication in practices that harm animals should make every person with a conscience consider what we can all do to change this situation. Pinning guilt is less important than accepting the fact that humanity as a whole has a collective duty to face and solve these problems.

So far, I have not spoken of the extinction of animal species, because this is a book about loss and deprivation suffered by individual creatures, each of whom matters. Species as such do not suffer loss. However, extinction never takes place without massive suffering of individual creatures: the hunger of a polar bear, starving on an ice floe, unable to cross the sea to hunt; the sadness of an orphan elephant, deprived of care and community as the species dwindles rapidly; the mass extinctions of song-bird species as a result of unbreathable air, a horrible death. When human practices hound species toward extinction, member animals always suffer greatly and live squashed and thwarted lives. Besides, the species themselves matter for creating diverse ecosystems in which animals can live well.

Extinctions would take place even without human intervention. Even in such cases we might have reasons to intervene to stop them, because of the importance of biodiversity. But scientists agree that today’s extinctions are between one thousand and ten thousand times higher than the natural extinction rate. (Our uncertainty is huge, because we are very ignorant of how many species there actually are, particularly where fish and insects are concerned.) Worldwide, approximately one-quarter of the world’s mammals and over 40 percent of amphibians are currently threatened with extinction. These include several species of bear, the Asian elephant (endangered), the African elephant (threatened), the tiger, six species of whale, the gray wolf, and so many more. All in all, more than 370 animal species are either endangered or threatened, using the criteria of the US Endangered Species Act, not including birds, and a separate list of similar length for birds. Asian songbirds are virtually extinct in the wild, on account of the lucrative trade in these luxury items. And many other species of birds have recently become extinct. Meanwhile, the international treaty called CITES that is supposed to protect birds (and many other creatures) is toothless and unenforced. The story of this book is not that story of mass extinction, but the sufferings of individual creatures that take place against this background of human indifference to biodiversity.

“The extent of our own implication in practices that harm animals should make every person with a conscience consider what we can all do to change this situation.”

There is a further reason why the ethical evasion of the past must end now. Today we know far more about animal lives than we did even 50 years ago. We know much too much for the glib excuses of the past to be offered without shame. Porphyry and Plutarch (and Aristotle before them) knew a lot about animal intelligence and sensitivity. But somehow humans find ways of “forgetting” what the science of the past has plainly revealed, and for many centuries most people, including most philosophers, thought animals were “brute beasts,” automata without a subjective sense of the world, without emotions, without society, and perhaps even without the feeling of pain.

Recent decades, however, have seen an explosion of high-level research covering all areas of the animal world. We now know more not only about animals long closely studied — primates and companion animals — but also about animals who are difficult to study — marine mammals, whales, fish, birds, reptiles, and cephalopods.

We know — not just by observation, but by carefully designed experimental work — that all vertebrates and many invertebrates feel pain subjectively, and have, more generally, a subjectively felt view of the world: the world looks like something to them. We know that all of these animals experience at least some emotions (fear being the most ubiquitous), and that many experience emotions like compassion and grief that involve more complex “takes” on a situation. We know that animals as different as dolphins and crows can solve complicated problems and learn to use tools to solve them. We know that animals have complex forms of social organization and social behavior. More recently, we have been learning that these social groups are not simply places where a rote inherited repertory is acted out, but places of complicated social learning. Species as different as whales, dogs, and many types of birds clearly transmit key parts of the species’ repertoire to their young socially, not just genetically.

What are the implications of this research for ethics? Huge, clearly. We can no longer draw the usual line between our own species and “the beasts,” a line meant to distinguish intelligence, emotion, and sentience from the dense life of a “brute beast.” Nor can we even draw a line between a group of animals we already recognize as sort of “like us” — apes, elephants, whales, dogs — and others who are supposed to be unintelligent. Intelligence takes multiple and fascinating forms in the real world, and birds, evolving by a very different path from humans, have converged on many similar abilities. Even an invertebrate such as the octopus has surprising capacities for intelligent perception: an octopus can recognize individual humans, and can solve complex problems, guiding one of its arms through a maze to obtain food using only its eyes. Once we recognize all this we can hardly be unchanged in our ethical thinking. To put a “brute beast” in a cage seems no more wrong than putting a rock in a terrarium. But that is not what we are doing. We are deforming the existence of intelligent and complexly sentient forms of life. Each of these animals strives for a flourishing life, and each has abilities, social and individual, that equip it to negotiate a decent life in a world that gives animals difficult challenges. What humans are doing is to thwart this striving — and this seems wrong.

But even though the time has come to recognize our ethical responsibility to the other animals, we have few intellectual tools to effect meaningful change. The third reason why we must confront what we are doing to animals now, today, is that we have built a world in which two of humanity’s best tools for progress, law and political theory, have, so far, no or little help to offer us. Law — both domestic and international — has quite a lot to say about the lives of companion animals, but very little to say about any other animals. Nor do animals in most nations have what lawyers call “standing”: that is, the status to bring a legal claim if they are wronged. Of course, animals cannot themselves bring a legal claim, but neither can most humans, including children, people with cognitive disabilities — and, to tell the truth, almost everybody, since people have little knowledge of the law. All of us need a lawyer to press our claims. But all the humans I have mentioned — including people with lifelong cognitive disabilities — count, and can bring a legal claim, assisted by an able advocate. The way we have designed the world’s legal systems, animals do not have this simple privilege. They do not count.

Law is built by humans using the theories they have. When those theories were racist, laws were racist. When theories of sex and gender excluded women, so too did law. And there is no denying that most political thought by humans the world over has been human-centered, excluding animals. Even the theories that purport to offer help in the struggle against abuse are deeply defective, built on an inadequate picture of animal lives and animal striving. As a philosopher and political theorist who is also deeply immersed in law and law teaching, I hope to change things with this book.

Copyright © 2022 by Martha Nussbaum. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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Extending Animal Cruelty Protections to Scientific Research

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Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

INTRODUCTION

On November 25, 2019, the federal law H.R. 724 – the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT) prohibiting the intentional harm of “living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians” was signed. [1] This law was a notable step in extending protections, rights, and respect to animals. While many similar state laws existed, the passing of a federal law signaled a new shift in public tone. PACT is a declaration of growing societal sentiments that uphold the necessity to shield our fellow creatures from undue harm. Protecting animals from the harm of citizens is undoubtedly important, but PACT does nothing to protect animals from state-sanctioned harm, particularly in the form of research, which causes death and cruelty. It is time to extend and expand protections for animals used in research.

There is a long history of animal experimentation in the US, but no meaningful ethical protections of animals emerged until the 20 th century. Proscription of human experimentation and dissection led to animals bearing the brunt of harm for scientific and medical progress. For instance, English physician William Harvey discovered the heart did not continuously produce blood but instead recirculated it; he made this discovery by dissecting and bleeding out living dogs without anesthesia. [2] Experiments like this were considered ethically tenable for hundreds of years. Philosophers like Immanuel Kant, Thomas Aquinas, and Rene Descartes held that humans have no primary moral obligations to animals and that one should be concerned about the treatment of an animal only because it could indicate how one would treat a human. [3] During the 20 th century, as agriculture became more industrialized and government funding for animal research increased, the social demand for ethical regulations finally began to shift. In 1966, the Animal Welfare Act (Public Law 89-544) marked the first American federal legislation to protect laboratory animals, setting standards for use of animals in research. [4]

There has been progress in the field of animal research ethics since Harvey’s experiments, but much work remains. In the US alone, there are an estimated 20 million mice, fish, birds, and invertebrates used for animal research each year that are not regulated by the Animal Welfare Act. [5] Instead, the “3Rs Alternatives” approach (“reduce, replace, and refine”) [6] is one framework used to guide ethical treatment of animals not covered by federal protections. Unfortunately, unpacking the meaning and details of this approach only leads to ambiguity and minimal actionable guidance. For instance, an experimenter could reduce the number of animals used in research but subsequently increase the number of experiments conducted on the remaining animals. Replace could be used in the context of replacing one species with another. Refining is creating “any decrease in the severity of inhumane procedures applied to those animals, which still have to be used.” [7] The vague “ any ” implies that even a negligible minimization would be ethically acceptable. [8] An experimenter could technically follow each of the “3Rs” with minimal to no reduction in harm to the animals. One must also consider whether it is coherent to refer to guidelines as ethical when they inevitably produce pain, suffering, and death as consequences of research participation.

Other ethical guides like Humane Endpoints for Laboratory Animals Used in Regulatory Testing [9] encourage researchers to euthanize animals that undergo intractable pain or distress. This is a fate that an estimated one million animals face yearly in the US. [10] However, to use the word “humane” in this context contradicts the traditional meaning and undermines the integrity of the word. Taking living creatures, forcing them to experience intractable pain and suffering for human benefit, and killing them is the antithesis of what it means to be humane. During one of my Animal Ethics classes as a graduate student, our cohort visited an animal research facility to help inform our opinions on animal research. We observed one of the euthanasia chambers for lab mice – an enclosed metal lab bench with a sign above describing methods for euthanasia if CO 2 asphyxiation were to fail. The methods included decapitation, removal of vital organs, opening of the chest cavity, incision of major blood vessels, and cervical dislocation. [11] Behind us were rows and rows of see-through shoebox-sized containers housing five mice in each little box. Thousands of mice were packed together in this room for the sole purpose of breeding. If the mice were not the correct “type” for research, then they were “humanely” euthanized. “Humane,” in this context, has been deprived of its true meaning.

One can acknowledge that animal research was historically necessary for scientific progress, but those that currently claim these practices are still required must show empirically and undoubtedly this is true. As of now, this is not a settled issue. In the scientific community, there is contention about whether current animal research is actually applicable to humans. [12] Many drug researchers even view animal testing as a tedious barrier to development as it may be wholly irrelevant to the drug or medical device being tested. Since 1962, the FDA has required preclinical testing in animals; it is time to question whether this is necessary or helpful for drug development.

The scientific community should stop viewing animal testing as an unavoidable evil in the search for medical and technological innovation. PACT should be amended and extended to all animals and the FDA should modify the requirement for preclinical animal testing of all drugs and medical devices. It is time to encourage the scientific community to find alternative research methods that do not sacrifice our fellow animals. We use animals as test subjects because, in some sense, they resemble humans. But, if they are indeed like humans, they should receive similar protections. Science builds a better world for humans, but perhaps it is time for science to be more inclusive and build a better world for all creatures.

[1] Theodore E. Deutch, “Text - H.R.724 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act,” legislation, November 25, 2019, 2019/2020, https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/724/text.

[2] Anita Guerrini, “Experiments, Causation, and the Uses of Vivisection in the First Half of the Seventeenth Century,” Journal of the History of Biology 46, no. 2 (2013): 227–54.

[3] Bernard E. Rollin, “The Regulation of Animal Research and the Emergence of Animal Ethics: A Conceptual History,” Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 27, no. 4 (September 28, 2006): 285–304, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11017-006-9007-8; Darian M Ibrahim, “A Return to Descartes: Property, Profit, and the Corporate Ownership of Animals,” LAW AND CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS 70 (n.d.): 28.

[4] Benjamin Adams and Jean Larson, “Legislative History of the Animal Welfare Act: Introduction | Animal Welfare Information Center| NAL | USDA,” accessed November 3, 2021, https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislative-history-animal-welfare-act-introduction.

[5] National Research Council (US) and Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical and Behavioral Research, Patterns of Animal Use , Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical and Behavioral Research (National Academies Press (US), 1988), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218261/.

[6] Robert C. Hubrecht and Elizabeth Carter, “The 3Rs and Humane Experimental Technique: Implementing Change,” Animals: An Open Access Journal from MDPI 9, no. 10 (September 30, 2019): 754, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9100754.

[7] Hubrecht and Carter.

[8] Hubrecht and Carter.                           

[9] William S. Stokes, “Humane Endpoints for Laboratory Animals Used in Regulatory Testing,” ILAR Journal 43, no. Suppl_1 (January 1, 2002): S31–38, https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar.43.Suppl_1.S31.

[10] Stokes.

[11] “Euthanasia of Research Animals,” accessed April 21, 2022, https://services-web.research.uci.edu/compliance/animalcare-use/research-policies-and-guidance/euthanasia.html.

[12] Neal D. Barnard and Stephen R. Kaufman, “Animal Research Is Wasteful and Misleading,” Scientific American 276, no. 2 (1997): 80–82.

Chad Childers

MS Bioethics Candidate Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics

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Animal Cruelty and Neighborhood Conditions

Laura a. reese.

1 Urban and Regional Planning and Political Science, Michigan State University, 517-353-5942, Human Ecology Building 552W, Circle Drive, Room 208A, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

Joshua J. Vertalka

2 Lucid Spaces, 200 N, Grand Ave, Lansing, MI 48933, USA; [email protected]

Cassie Richard

3 Oregon Commission for the Blind, 535 SE 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97214, USA; moc.liamg@041reissac

Simple Summary

Animal cruelty appears to be widespread. Competing theories have been posed regarding the causes of animal cruelty leading to conflicting findings and little direction for public policies to combat it. Using data from police department reports of animal cruelty in the City of Detroit from 2007 to 2015 this project assesses competing theories of the causes of animal cruelty. The findings suggest that deviance and social disorganization theories best account for animal cruelty. Neighborhood conditions in terms of economic stress, vacancy and blight, and crime appear to have the greatest impact on animal cruelty in this urban area.

Background: Animal cruelty appears to be widespread. Competing theories have been posed regarding the causes of animal cruelty leading to conflicting findings and little direction for public policies to combat it. Objective: To assess the applicability of extant theories of the causes of animal cruelty: domestic violence; deviance; perpetrator traits; and social disorganization. Methods: Data are drawn from police department reports of animal cruelty in the City of Detroit from 2007 to 2015; 302 incidences of animal cruelty were reported. Multiple regression is used to determine the theory which best appears to account for animal cruelty. Results: Common types of animal cruelty in Detroit are shooting; blunt force trauma; neglect; and dogfighting. While most incidents involve unknown persons; cruelty by owners; neighbors; and domestic partners is also common. Neighborhood conditions in terms of economic stress; vacancy and blight; and crime appear to have the greatest impact on animal cruelty. Conclusions: The findings from Detroit support deviance and social disorganization theories of animal cruelty. Neighborhood conditions in terms of economic stress, vacancy and blight, and crime appear to have the greatest impact on animal cruelty in this urban area.

1. Animal Cruelty and Neighborhood Conditions

Research on animal cruelty has grown exponentially and across disciplines over the course of the last two decades although work focusing explicitly on urban areas is relatively rare. Additionally, because of the complexity of the issue, it has been noted that there remains a limited understanding of companion animal cruelty:

“Companion animal cruelty is a surprisingly complex phenomenon, involving a multitude of different situational factors, motives, and other potential causes…there is no single type of companion animal cruelty offense, nor is there one typical type of companion animal cruelty offender.” [ 1 ]

It appears that animal cruelty is quite widespread. Although based on a sample of college students, recent research has suggested that 55% of surveyed respondents had intentionally harmed or killed at least one animal [ 2 ]. Because the inclusion of animal cruelty in the FBI database is recent (2016) and reporting voluntary, it is difficult to calculate national rates of cruelty in the US but it has been suggested that the available figures are underestimated because so much cruelty is hidden and otherwise unreported [ 3 ]. A survey conducted in Australia indicated that animal mistreatment was common with almost 26% of respondents reporting that they had witnessed mistreatment although the most typical perception was that they were seeing neglect as opposed to more active forms of cruelty [ 4 ].

Research across countries has attempted to assess the extent of different types of animal cruelty, although comparable data are consistently problematic. Carlisle-Frank and colleagues investigated the animal cruelty of abusers as reported by women in domestic violence shelters [ 5 ]. Forty-three percent of respondents indicated that their significant other had punched, hit, choked, drowned, shot, stabbed, or thrown their animals against walls or down stairs. Denial of food, water, and veterinary care occurred in 26% of the cases. The most common forms of animal cruelty in a South African study were the restriction of movement, insufficient food or water, abandonment, neglect, lack of veterinary care, and assault [ 6 ]. A study conducted in Australia found that the most common complaints of animal cruelty, particularly for puppies, involved neglect such as poor body weight, lack of food and water, and being confined in such a way that the animal lacked appropriate exercise. Adult dogs were exposed to more active forms of cruelty such as poisoning [ 7 ]. The most frequently reported forms of animal cruelty in Manitoba, Canada, are also related to neglect (lack of food and water) and most commonly involve dogs. In Winnipeg, Canada, issues most often reported include animals locked in cars, left in conditions of extreme heat or cold, insufficient food and water, and abandonment. However, research on cruelty enforcement has found that prosecution is rare, occurring in only the most serious cases [ 8 ].

There have been calls in the academic literature to examine animal cruelty in light of larger social factors and relationships to address the complexity of causes [ 9 ]. This study does this by looking at a broadly-based set of potential correlates of animal cruelty in an urban setting including characteristics of the perpetrator, relationship between the abuser and the nonhuman animal victim, the neighborhood environment where the cruelty took place, and the types of cruelty that occurred. In doing so it weighs the applicability of four theories or explanations for animal cruelty in an urban setting highlighting the complexity of the issue and setting directions for public policies that acknowledge and address those complexities.

The article proceeds by discussing the major strands of theory and research exploring the causes and correlates of animal cruelty: human relationships/domestic violence, deviance/criminality, perpetrator traits, and social disorganization. Gaps in extant knowledge are summarized and the current research positioned within those gaps. To provide an explicit urban focus, the City of Detroit is used as the case for the analysis of police reports of animal cruelty to follow. Explanatory models are developed and tested and the implications for urban public policy addressed.

1.1. Animal Cruelty and Human Relationships/Domestic Violence

The relationship between animal cruelty and domestic violence has been extensively studied [ 10 ]. Forty-seven to seventy one percent of women in domestic violence shelters indicated that their partners had abused or threatened their pets [ 11 ]. Research comparing women that had and had not been abused found that cruelty to pets was reported by 53% of the former but only 13% of the latter [ 12 ]. Forty-one percent of men arrested for domestic violence reported committing animal cruelty as adults; the rate of animal cruelty in the general population is 1.5% [ 13 ]. Animal cruelty by domestic partners and other family members was more prevalent in violent families compared to those without domestic violence [ 10 ]. A Canadian study indicated that women reporting violence to their animals tended to suffer abuse themselves with greater frequency and severity [ 14 ].

However, recent research has suggested that domestic partners are not the only source of animal cruelty resulting from interpersonal human relationships. Animal cruelty is part of a complex of aggression that includes assault against humans, domestic violence, intimidation, and harassment. While much research has focused on romantic partners, family members and neighbors are also involved in animal cruelty [ 15 ]. Perpetrators that assault humans are also more likely to use direct force against animals. Individuals that shoot other people are more likely to shoot animals. Thus, the same modes of violence play out against both human and nonhuman animals [ 16 ].

1.2. Animal Cruelty: Deviance and Criminality

Animal cruelty has been framed as an indicator of antisocial behavior in children potentially leading to violence in adulthood [ 17 ]. This “link” or graduation hypothesis suggests that young violent offenders test their abusive skills on animals and take this knowledge, and the desensitization that goes with it, on to humans [ 18 ]. A good bit of research has supported a link between being exposed to and engaging in animal cruelty as a child and perpetrating animal cruelty and violence against humans as an adult [ 19 ]. Yet, this research has been limited to small and unrepresentative samples and work with larger datasets has not found the graduation hypothesis to be supported [ 20 ]. As a result other scholars have proposed a generalized deviance theory to explain animal cruelty suggesting that it is just one type of behavior that is tied to a complex of others such as drug use and criminality [ 21 ].

Partly tied to, and supporting, deviance theory of animal cruelty, research has explored the connections between animal cruelty and other types of crime. For example, dog fighting is related to other criminal acts such as drug and weapons offenses, and gang participation and involves dogs that are owned by the abuser [ 15 ]. Thus, it has been suggested that persistent poverty and lack of opportunities feed into a culture of gang activities which normalizes dog fighting [ 22 ].

It appears that a complex of individual traits and general criminal activity are related to animal abuse. For example, gender, race, and age were found to be correlated with animal crime in Chicago as were a juvenile crime record and crimes involving drugs and weapons leading to the conclusion that animal abusers are more similar to common street criminals than both the graduation hypotheses or studies of pathologies would suggest [ 3 ]. Thus, animal abuse is tied to both violence generally and other types of crime, including violent crime [ 23 ].

1.3. Animal Cruelty and Individual Traits of Perpetrators

Agnew posed a social psychological model of the causes of animal abuse with “social position” (gender, age, race, education) along with individual traits such as degree of empathy, self-control, and ignorance about the consequences of abusive behavior leading to animal cruelty [ 24 ]. A good bit of research has identified connections between gender, age, and animal cruelty. Overwhelmingly males are the more likely perpetrators, particularly for active and more violent forms of cruelty [ 1 ]. When women are involved in cruelty it is more likely to be passive such as neglect, hoarding, or involving poison [ 25 ]. The lower propensity for animal cruelty among women has been posited to emanate from their higher levels of empathy across animal types—pets, pests, and food—and their tendency to view themselves as animal guardians [ 26 ]. Most cruelty offenders have been found to be around 30 years old or younger although older individuals are more likely to neglect or hoard animals even in the presence of strong attachments to them [ 26 ].

Relationships between race, ethnicity, and animal cruelty have not been definitively determined in extant research, however, because of conflicting results. On the one hand, some work suggests that African Americans and Hispanics are the most frequent perpetrators of animal cruelty although racial segregation not race per se may be the driver [ 3 ]. However, other research has found white animal abuse offenders to be more common [ 27 ], that Hispanic pet owners have human-animal bonds similar to non-Hispanic whites [ 28 ], and that white partners are more likely than Hispanic ones to harm pets as part of domestic violence situations [ 29 ]. Further, whites have been found to be more engaged in dog fighting than individuals of color [ 30 ] while other research has suggested that the practice crosses racial and socioeconomic lines [ 31 ].

1.4. Animal Cruelty and Neighborhood Disorganization

A relatively recent body of research has begun to explore the larger environment of animal cruelty, specifically looking at potential connections between neighborhood conditions and rates of cruelty. Social disorganization theory posits that community structural disadvantages in terms of poverty and lack of education and opportunities, weaken social ties, social controls, and consensus against crime [ 32 ]. It has been suggested that animal cruelty will be higher in disorganized areas for these reasons [ 3 ]. For example, spatial analysis was used to identify correlations between neighborhoods with high levels of animal cruelty (including dog fighting) and domestic violence, child abuse, crime, Hispanic populations, and abandoned properties [ 33 ]. In a suburban setting, block groups with higher levels of social disorganization (measured as female-headed households, percent below the poverty level, unemployment, economic disadvantage, ethnic heterogeneity, housing tenure instability, and divorced and separated persons) were found to have more reported animal cruelty offenses [ 34 ]. General “community hardship” such as crowded housing, poverty, low income, percent of residents without a high school diploma, crime, and dependent children and seniors appears related to animal crimes [ 3 ]. Such research essentially shifts the unit of analysis from the psychological motivations of the individual perpetrator to neighborhood characteristics. However, by employing demographic indicators to measure “disorganization” such studies also run the risk of “blaming the victims” whereby systemic inequalities are redefined as neighborhood problems as opposed to conditions that place both human and nonhuman animals at risk.

1.5. Proposing and Testing a more Comprehensive Model

The research just discussed explores a variety of correlates of animal cruelty at different scales. Yet more work has been called for, particularly on community features that relate to, promote, or both, animal cruelty [ 34 ]. This research responds to that call by examining a broader array of potential correlates of animal cruelty at the sub-city level in an urban setting. Independent variables are drawn from across the literature just cited and include four categories of factors: traits of the perpetrators, relationships between perpetrator and animal including domestic violence, and socio-economic and physical neighborhood characteristics. Thus, by examining correlates across academic disciplines and approaches, the research provides a comprehensive examination of the factors related to animal cruelty in a major city.

This research focuses on animal cruelty in the City of Detroit because economic distress, vacancy and abandonment, high numbers of stray and feral dogs, high risk of dog bites, and dog fighting create circumstances ripe for animal cruelty [ 15 ]. Detroit’s economic distress limits its ability to provide animal welfare services including combating animal cruelty [ 35 ]. However, it should be noted that Detroit Animal Care and Control (the municipal agency responsible for animal control and welfare) has improved enforcement of animal welfare ordinances since the period of this study.

Data and Variables

A variety of methods have been used to explore animal cruelty. Studies of domestic violence have typically involved small samples, recall interviews, and surveys with victims and perpetrators and with college students [ 2 ]. Research on incarcerated individuals, serial killers, and sadists also provides few cases and unique populations [ 36 ]. Broader studies have examined news reports of animal cruelty or used open source websites that include convictions for animal cruelty. These have limitations in that only the most serious or attention garnering cases are included, many cases are not in the public domain, or both [ 1 ]. Finally, other studies have employed police data but have not coded the text of police reports in detail thus missing information about the circumstances surrounding the incident, victim and perpetrator, the nature and conditions of the animals, and the demographic and locational context where the incidents occurred [ 34 ]. There have been specific calls for research that considers a broad range of potential factors involved in animal cruelty that incorporates administrative data such as police reports [ 1 ]. This research addresses these calls by using animal cruelty police data with the text describing each incident coded in detail.

Police reports: All animal cruelty incidents in Detroit between 2007 and 2015 for which there is a police report were included in the analysis. Animal cruelty was categorized into eight types of abuse: dog fighting, shooting, neglect, poisoning, threat, stabbing, kicking/hitting with blunt force, and other (see [ 15 ] for a full explanation of data and coding). Attributes of the suspect, relationships between the suspect and the owner of the dog (neighbor, family member, romantic partner), whether domestic violence was suspected, and circumstances surrounding the cruelty (type of animal, breed of dog, location where abuse occurred) were also coded. Number of cruelty reports by zip code serves as the dependent variable for the study (It would have been optimal to use a smaller unit of geography such as a census tract but there were too few reported incidents in many tracts for this to have been viable. There are 29 zip codes in the City of Detroit).

Neighborhood variables: The environmental variables represent factors that have been used in previous research to indicate neighborhood conditions. However, there are additional attributes of neighborhoods, not explored in the extant literature that might create environments ripe for animal cruelty. These include features that might attract roaming dogs and present hidden locations where dog fighting could occur (vacant buildings, blighted areas, parks and greenspaces, for example). Conversely, areas where adults and children congregate might lessen the likelihood of cruelty because many “eyes” are on the scene and they represent locales of routine activities; schools and bus stops, for example (see [ 37 ] for a detailed description of data and coding). The presence of liquor stores was also measured as they could represent a source of neighborhood disorder (increasing cruelty) or more active commercial activity (lowering cruelty).

Finally, to provide a sense of other potential demographic correlates, data for the zip code where the cruelty incident occurred were collected including: unemployment, percent below the poverty level, female-headed households below the poverty level, education, median rent, food stamp use, age structure, per capita income, and occupied and vacant housing. These variables assess the level of neighborhood poverty, economic stress, and opportunity structures that have been hypothesized to increase the risk of animal cruelty [ 37 , 38 ]. These data have been drawn from the 2011 American Community Survey estimates since that is roughly the midpoint of the range of the animal cruelty data.

3.1. Nature of Cruelty Incidents

The dataset includes 302 police reports of animal cruelty over a period of nine years. It is likely that this represents an undercount of actual cruelty since reports may have gone to and been investigated by Detroit Animal Care and Control or the Michigan Humane Society also operating in Detroit. The most frequent types of animal cruelty in Detroit were shooting (23% of incidents), kicking/blunt force (21%), other (17%), neglect (12%), and dogfighting (10%). Stabbing (6%), poisoning (5%), and threatening to harm an animal (2%) are much less common. Thus, cruelty in Detroit appears different than in other studies indicating that neglect—restriction of movement, lack of food and water, abandonment, and lack of veterinary care—is the most common form of cruelty.

3.2. Traits of the Perpetrator

The perpetrators tend to be male (83%). Of the 150 suspects whose race is included in the police report, 89.3% are of color (It should be noted that 83% of Detroit residents are African American). Fewer than one third of the perpetrators (32%) were arrested for the animal cruelty incident.

Table 1 presents the results of the traits of the suspect as drawn from the police reports regressed on number of cruelty incidents in a zip code. The traits of the cruelty suspects overall do a very poor job of predicting cruelty; none of the individual variables are significantly correlated with cruelty in multiple regression.

Regression of traits of perpetrator (Female serves as the referent category for gender. Age of perpetrator was collapsed into ordinal categories; there were insufficient incidents for child and adult suspects to calculate regression data) and animal cruelty.

3.3. Human Relationships/Circumstances Surrounding Cruelty

Thirty-six percent of the cruelty incidents were committed by an unknown person. The next mostly likely perpetrators were the owner of the animal (20%), neighbors of the owner (14%), domestic partners or others involved in a romantic relationship (It would have been ideal to have also measured cruelty committed by ex-partners of the human guardian of the animal but that information was not included in the police reports) (12%), or a family member (9%). The majority of the cruelty cases involved dogs (89%, 7% involved cats, and 2% other animals). This comports with other research which has indicated dogs as the most common victims of animal cruelty [ 1 ]. Among incidents involving a dog for which the breed is identified, 57% involved pit bulls (Detroit has not conducted a dog census to determine predominant types of dogs in the city nor is there an accessible data set on dog licenses. However, over 90% of the dogs in the city’s municipal animal shelter (Detroit Animal Care and Control) at any given time are likely some type of pit bull mix suggesting that there are high rates of pit bull ownership in the city [ 35 ]. The implications of this overrepresentation would be worthy of future study.). Of the cases involving dogs, 20% died as a result of their abuse. The preponderance of incidents occurred in the animal owner’s yard or home.

As a group, the variables measuring the relationship between the suspect and the animal victim do a slightly better job of accounting for variation in total incidents in a zip code than traits of the suspect ( Table 2 ). The equation including attributes of the animal and relationship between animal and suspect accounts for 17% of the variation in cruelty. However, only one variable comes close to statistical significance; whether the owner was the suspect. Situations where domestic violence was noted in the police report as being present are not significantly correlated with number of cruelty incidents.

Regression of human relationships/circumstances surrounding cruelty. (A number of variables were removed from the equation due to high VIFs including: location of cruelty; breed of dog other than pit bull designation; abuse caused by police, unknown persons, in the course of a break-in, and neighbors; whether there was a history of abuse or bites for the animal involved; type of animal involved; specific nature of the cruelty; and number of animals involved. Reference categories thus include cruelty not part of domestic violence, cruelty by neighbor, and other dog breeds).

3.4. Socio-Economic Aspects of Neighborhood Disorganization

The socio-economic traits of the zip code where the cruelty occurred do a very good job of predicting the number of incidents of cruelty; 81% of the variation in cruelty is accounted for by the variables in the equation in Table 3 . Zip codes that are more distressed in terms of unemployment and higher rents as a percentage of income have more reported cruelty incidents. Areas with more children under 5 years of age also have more cruelty.

Regression of relationship between socioeconomics of the neighborhood and cruelty (Several demographic variables were removed from the equation due to high VIFs including: median household income, % with a bachelor’s degree, and % with a high school degree.).

3.5. Physical Aspects of Neighborhood Disorganization

Physical traits of the environment where the cruelty took place account for 72% of the variation in cruelty making it just slightly less robust than the forgoing socio-economic model ( Table 4 ). Overall cruelty appears to be strongly related to neighborhood conditions: higher building vacancy and blight, more crime as represented by murders, fewer building permits, and lack of green spaces for recreation.

Regression of relationship between physical characteristics of the neighborhood and cruelty (Variables removed from the equation due to high VIF include: bus stops; robbery; assault; land bank properties; liquor stores; parks; childcares; and middle and elementary school buildings).

3.6. Combined Model

A final regression was run including only the variables most strongly related to the number of cruelty incidents in a zip code in the previous regression analyses. Results of the best fitting model are presented in Table 5 . This model including environmental variables and whether the owner was the suspect accounts for 72% of the variation in animal cruelty (The demographic variables of rent to income, unemployment, and children under five were removed from the model due to high VIF. Cruelty by neighbor serves as the referent category for cruelty by owner). Cruelty is higher in areas with higher levels of blight, murder, a lack of building permits indicating low development activity, and less green space amenities.

Regression of best fitting model across categories of variables.

4. Discussion and Policy Implications

Detroit has a different profile of animal cruelty than has been found in previous research; neglect is relatively less frequent than active forms of abuse. This may be due to high levels of criminal violence in the city generally or to the severity of the city’s economic decline. Exploring the factors causing more active cruelty in Detroit is something that should be considered in future research.

The findings from Detroit generally appear to support the social disorganization, and to a lesser extent the deviance/criminality, theories of animal cruelty. The only human relationship that remains significantly correlated to cruelty in multiple regressions is that of an owner. None of the traits of the accused—race, gender, or age—remain related to animal cruelty in multiple regression. In short, neighborhood conditions in terms of economic stress, vacancy and blight, and crime appear to have the greatest impact on animal cruelty in this urban area. In addition to lending support for the disorder theory the findings also speak to potential policy actions to combat animal cruelty.

That animal cruelty is tied to general patterns of deviance and other violent crime has led scholars and health professionals to recommend that it be used as a marker for other types of child and family abuse. The One Health movement has called for better communication and cross-reporting between the veterinary, social work, animal sheltering, and human medical communities in an attempt to reduce violence among all family members, both human and nonhuman animals [ 39 ]. It should be noted that there are recommendations that such cross-reporting be encouraged and facilitated but not made mandatory as it could create a disincentive for taking animals for medical care or not being open about abuse in the home due to fear of retaliation [ 17 ].

There are a variety of actions that might be taken to improve the neighborhood conditions that appear to be the most important correlates of animal cruelty. In a larger sense efforts to reduce economic stress and structural inequality in terms of unemployment and high rent burdens may decrease anxiety among pet owners, allow them to more easily afford pet food and medical care, and lessen the need to embrace dog fighting as a form of income production (from both gambling and the breeding and sale of dogs). Animal welfare advocates and organizations have increasingly begun to recognize inherent discrimination related to judgments about pet-keeping and enforcement of animal welfare and control ordinances [ 40 ]. Strict enforcement of such legislation often targets low income, minority, and immigrant communities [ 41 ]. As a result, a number of animal welfare organizations around the US have been implementing programs to support those struggling financially to keep their pets in their homes providing food, low cost medical care, training assistance, fencing, crates, and so on [ 42 ]. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (ASPCA) Keeping Pets and People Together position statement underlies such efforts [ 43 ]. These programs recognize that in situations of neglect or passive cruelty specifically, economic deprivation is the driver and that increased enforcement is not the most appropriate response particularly since the concept of “neglect” of an animal is socially determined based on the “myth” of the irresponsible owner [ 42 ]. The partnership between the ASCPA and the New York Police Department (NYPD) to fight animal cruelty is an example of an effort to address these concerns. Here the resources of the NYPD are brought to bear on animal cruelty cases while the ASPCA focuses on the health and welfare of the nonhuman animal victims and also the needs of guardians in cases where pets may be able, with a supportive response, to remain in their homes [ 44 ].

However, other attributes of the environment are also related to cruelty. Addressing abandonment and blight should also reduce cruelty. Vacancy and blight are markers that a neighborhood has been left behind economically and socially. Many animals have been left in abandoned homes as the result of foreclosure and precarious housing options that often restrict size or type (read pit bull) of dog. Vacant structures provide places for stray and feral animals to hide. Checking vacant homes for animals, placing them in an animal shelter, and boarding up the structures or razing them entirely should reduce the cruelty that un-homed animals may experience on the streets and improve general welfare. Expanding programs to remove abandoned buildings and clear blighted lots should reduce habitats for stray and feral animals but also make the area more desirable and less open to crime and further deterioration. Neighborhoods with high vacancy and blight may suffer from other markers of economic distress thus endangering the social capital necessary for protective behaviors.

Finally, dog fighting in particular is tied to other types of criminality such as drug offenses and involves dogs owned by the perpetrator [ 15 ]. Crackdowns on dog fighting and breeding and drug and weapons possession and sales would likely reduce this type of animal cruelty. Cooperation and communication between public safety and humane organizations would help identify the locations of dog fighting based on the condition of animals ending up at animal control and would enhance police resources with investigators trained and experienced in animal cruelty investigations [ 3 ]. However, it should be noted that police and animal control responses to dog fighting and breeding are tied to social constructions of gender and race and increased enforcement efforts will likely fall more heavily on communities of color.

Limitations

There are several limitations to this study which speak for needed future research. First, it would have been ideal to have explored neighborhood variation using a smaller geography than zip codes. Future research could collect data from a longer time period and from more cities to allow for sufficient cases of animal cruelty for census tract analysis. Second, the study is based in a single US city and thus findings might not be generalizable to other urban contexts. Third, the text of the police reports varied in level of detail and individual officers could have had different perceptions of a variety of variables such as breed of dog, severity of incident, and whether domestic violence was involved. Fourth, communities with more police are likely to evidence more police reports of animal cruelty because of greater resources, making comparisons across cities problematic. Further, there has been no research to date that explores the connections between different types of cruelty and the theories explored. For example, are the types of cruelty related to neighborhood conditions different from those that stem from domestic violence? There are reasons to suspect that this might be the case with domestic violence related to more violent cruelty such as beating and kicking animals [ 15 ] and animal abandonment potentially more likely in areas with greater housing vacancy. Testing these possibilities is ripe for future research. Finally, the analysis does not interrogate the nexus between the need to implement measures to identify and reduce animal cruelty and over policing in minority and immigrant communities which places their animals and themselves at greater risk of enforcement. The optimal balance between these realities is a necessary topic for future research.

5. Conclusions

While this research points to neighborhood conditions as the strongest predictors of animal cruelty, domestic violence and other interpersonal relationships, and in some cases, traits of the perpetrator, have been found to be related to different aspects of animal cruelty in other research. Thus, it is unlikely that solely focusing on conditions within the environment will address all aspects of animal cruelty. Systemic inequality breeds many conditions that put both humans and animals at risk of violence and greatly challenges the ability of even caring animal guardians to meet the needs of their pets. Better understanding the complexity of animal abuse can only lead to more effective and multi-pronged efforts to combat it.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, L.A.R., J.J.V. and C.R.; L.A.R. and J.J.V.; formal analysis, L.A.R. and J.J.V.; data curation, L.A.R. and C.R.; writing—original draft preparation, L.A.R.; writing—review and editing, L.A.R. and J.J.V.; supervision, L.A.R.; project administration, L.A.R. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

This research received no external funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Animal Law Research

Primary sources: cases, statutes, regulations and treaties, secondary sources: books, articles, news, current awareness, research and advocacy, getting help, credit and cc license.

Animal Law is concerned with the rights and welfare of nonhuman animals, as well as the requirements, responsibilities and liabilities associated with keeping or interacting with them.  Under this umbrella are wild animals as well as animals used for food and research, in entertainment, and as companions, pets or service animals.  This guide contains some research recommendations, highlighting key primary sources, secondary sources and current awareness sources. 

Know that you may not find "animal law" as a discrete topic area in research databases.  Instead, you might look to elements of property law, contract law, tort law, criminal law, environmental law, and agriculture and food law.

"farm animals"  by  lboren2687

Federal legislation

These are among the most researched and cited of animal laws at the federal level:

• Animal Welfare Act (USDA)
• Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (USDA)
• Horse Protection Act (USDA)
• Twenty-Eight Hour Law (USDA)

Congressional Research Service (CRS) and U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports provide additional context on the federal legislation.

• CRS Reports relating to Animal Agriculture Congressional Research Service reports organized by the National Agricultural Law Center
• GAO Reports on the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act GAO 10-203: Actions are Needed to Strengthen Enforcement
• GAO Report on the Animal Welfare Act GAO 10-945: Oversight of Dealers of Random Source Dogs and Cats Would Benefit from Additional Management Information and Analysis (2010)

State legislation

• Massachusetts Law About Animals A compilation of MA laws, regulations, cases and web sources on animal law from the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries.
• NCSL Environmental and Natural Resources State Bill Tracking Database National Conference of State Legislatures tracks environment and natural resource bills introduced in the 50 states, territories and Washington, DC. Search here for wildlife bills, including invasive wildlife species and pollinators.
• National AgLaw Center - State Animal Cruelty Statutes A compilation from the National Agricultural Law Center of the animal cruelty statutes across the 50 states.

Applicable U.S. Government Agencies

• USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
• FSIS (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service) Part of the USDA.
• Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
• US Dept of Health and Human Services: National Institutes of Health, Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare

Some Relevant International Agreements

• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
• Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS)

Using Secondary Sources

Secondary sources are a great place to begin if you're new to animal law research, or to consult later in your research for legal interpretation and analysis. To learn more about different types of secondary sources and how best to use them, visit the following guide:

• Secondary Sources: ALRs, Encyclopedias, Law Reviews, Restatements, & Treatises by Catherine Biondo Last Updated Apr 12, 2024 6845 views this year

Selected Treatises and Other Texts

Tips on Finding Materials on Animal Law in Hollis

Try the following Library of Congress subject searches in the HOLLIS online catalog  to find additional materials. You can also substitute another country's name or region of the world (such as "Latin America")  where "United States" appears.

Animal welfare --  Law   and   legislation  --  United   States  -- Legal research. ; Animal rights --  United   States  -- Legal research. ; Animal industry --  Law   and   legislation  --  United   States  -- Legal research. ; Animal experimentation --  Law   and   legislation  --  United   States  -- Legal research. ; Laboratory  animals  --  Law   and   legislation  --  United   States  -- Legal research. ; Working  animals  --  Law   and   legislation  --  United   States  -- Legal research. ; Domestic  animals  --  Law   and   legislation  --  United   States  -- Legal research. ; Animals  in the performing arts --  Law   and   legislation  --  United   States  -- Legal research.

Legal blogs (or "blawgs") are a good way to tap into current conversation.  Here are links to two blog listings:

• Justia Blawg Search - Animal and Dog Law Blawgs
• ABA Journal Animal Law Blog Index

Research and Advocacy

• Harvard Law School - Animal Law & Policy Program Started in 2014, the Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program at HLS is "Committed to analyzing and improving the treatment of animals through the legal system"
• Animal Legal Defense Fund The ALDF is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 by a group of animal law attorneys to advocate for humane treatment of animals through legal and legislative channels.

Contact Us!

  Ask Us!  Submit a question or search our knowledge base.

Chat with us!  Chat   with a librarian (HLS only)

Email: [email protected]

 Contact Historical & Special Collections at [email protected]

  Meet with Us   Schedule an online consult with a Librarian

Hours  Library Hours

Classes  View  Training Calendar  or  Request an Insta-Class

 Text  Ask a Librarian, 617-702-2728

 Call  Reference & Research Services, 617-495-4516

Thank you to Stephen Wiles and Terri Saint-Amour for their work on the initial version of this guide.

This guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License .

You may reproduce any part of it for noncommercial purposes as long as credit is included and it is shared in the same manner. 

• Last Updated: Sep 9, 2024 12:02 PM
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Animal Cruelty: A Review

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Good Survey Questions for Animal Cruelty

Animal cruelty is a sensitive subject, and many people may struggle to find the correct questions to ask. a severe issue like this necessitates thorough planning and survey design. we've included actual survey questions about animal cruelty that we created and used in public research..

1 minute to complete

Eligibility

There are no specific eligibility requirements to fill out a survey on animal cruelty. However, it is important to be aware of the sensitivity of the topic and to be respectful of the opinions of others.

Questions for Good Survey Questions for Animal Cruelty

Did you grow up with pets?

How many pets do you currently own?

Have you witnessed what you consider to be animal abuse before?

Do you consider any of the below scenarios animal abuse? (Select all that applicable)

• Leaving a pet in a hot car
• Leaving a pet in a cold car
• Not providing food and water
• Organized dog fight
• Overcrowding pets at home
• Caging the wild animals at Zoo
• Using the animals at circus
• Physically punishing an animal
• Using them at lab

Do you feel badly about how these types of animals are typically treated?

• Zoo Animals
• Circus Animals
• Wild animals that are hunted
• Factory farmed animals

How concerned are you about animal abuse?

• Extremely concerned
• Very concerned
• Somewhat concerned
• Not so concerned
• Not at all concerned

Do you believe more should be done to prevent animal abuse where you live?

How would you rank the below issues by importance? (1 is highest, 5 is lowest)

Is animal cruelty an issue that still occurs today?

• Strongly disagree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Strongly agree

Are you aware of the PACT (Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act)?

“Humanities true moral test, it’s a fundamental test...consists of its attitude toward those who are at its mercy: animals”-Milan Kundera. Do you agree with this quote?

Ideas Similar to Good Survey Questions for Animal Cruelty

• What are your thoughts on animal cruelty?
• Do you believe that animal cruelty is wrong?
• What do you think should be done to stop animal cruelty?

Here are some FAQs and additional information on Good Survey Questions for Animal Cruelty

What is animal cruelty, animal cruelty is a term that encompasses acts of violence, neglect, or malicious killing of an animal. it can also include not providing an animal with basic necessities like food or water. types of animal cruelty range from unintentional (unprovoked) acts to intentional (provoked) acts., why is animal abuse a concern, animal abuse is a concern because it often does not end within a single time or with a single animal. humans if not punished or warned would continue to harm and abuse other animals., want to use this template, loved by people at home and at work.

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Animal Cruelty, Its Causes and Impacts Research Paper

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
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Literature Review

Socio-cultural and environmental causes of animal cruelty, effects of animal cruelty with special focus on the ethical effects, solutions and recommendations to animal cruelty problems.

Research has proved that animal cruelty has been on the rise for the last two decades due to the increase of human population globally. The competition between animals and human beings for survival has influenced animal cruelty. In most cases, animals are trained through intimidation as they are severely beaten up like they don’t have feelings. A good example is presented in animals performing in circuses like the elephants that spend close to 23 hours every day in chains.

American scientists subject animals into dangerous complications while they use them to test new inventions especially in the medical arena. Like 25 million vertebrates in America are used to perform medical tests per year (Lockwood, 1998). Various researches indicate an increased rate in animal cruelty thus necessitating the need for viable measures to be taken accordingly by the relevant authorities.

In this paper I will discuss the different cause’s animal cruelty and their impacts on social, culture as well as environment. Animal cruelty is an ethical question as well as being of potential economic concern. This will be deliberated upon in this paper to determine how cruelty affects the economic growth and undermines ethical standards. In the body also I will be tackling and providing evidences concerning general causes of animal cruelty.

In the second part of the body, I will be more specific on the effects of animal cruelty in respect to ethics. I will base my argument on the number of unnecessary deaths in animal parks and reserves. I will show the dangers of neglecting animals including the most prevalent one where extinction can be a possible result.

Other general effects of animal cruelty will also feature in my discussion. The third part of my research involves solutions and recommendations to address the issues of animal cruelty. I will split my recommendations into social, cultural, environmental and ethical solutions to solve the issue. I will also offer legal solutions that can be used to deal with this issue.

Animal cruelty includes every aspect of human behaviors that have a negative impact on animals or threaten the life and wellbeing of an animal. This encompasses intentional and unintentional behaviors that affect the animals. Human activities most of the time undermine the harmonious existence of animals in so many aspects.

Animal cruelty can be described as physically causing harm to an animal or deprive an animal of the basics needs such as food, water, shelter the freedom to interact with other animals that is animal socialization and subjecting an animal to torture ( Ingrid, 1999). Other ways through which animal cruelty can take effect are when animals are denied veterinary care. Animal cruelty has been categorized as a form of disorder and unstable behavior seen in people who have been subjected to violence.

Some of the abuses animals are subjected to include dog fighting and cock fighting. Animals are subjected to painful identification marks which are put using extremely hot metals on the surface of their bodies. This is done without a pain relievers or anesthesia. Animal cruelty is seen especially while an animal is being taken to the slaughter house. If the animal is injure on the way or it becomes tired, they ear bitten up and moved unassisted due to the fact that they are headed to death.

Other abuses included breading animals for food consumption. A good example is that of broiler chicken that are raised to grow fat through genetic modifications. This is done not considering the effects it has on the birds and animals generally but with the selfish human ambition to impress buyers. Electric cattle prods have been in use for a long time now. This is an electric gadget that used to induce an electric shock on cattle to make them move.

This gadget transmits electric currents on the animal’s body and even though the voltage is very low to kill, it is enough to cause pain on the animal. Social causes of cruelty are the most reported forms of animal cruelty. People with mental disorders are mostly prone to mishandling animals though most of time unknowingly. This may include causing harm to the animal without really intending to do so.

For example, due to mental inability to weigh and reason out, a mentally challenged person may chain his or her pet dog with a very short chain. What the person does not understand is the fact that the dog needs to move freely around the compound. This kind of behavior is quit cruel and unfair to the pet.

Immaturity is another cause of cruelty where by children goes around throwing stones at animals on the way. Small boys are especially notorious with this behavior. Whenever a child sees a strolling dog or cat for that matter, the first thing that goes into their minds is to pick a stone and chase the animal away.

However there are other individuals who will intentionally cause harm for various reasons with the cruelest one being to derive satisfaction. The most vulnerable animals are the small domesticated animals which most of the times cannot defend themselves. Most of these offenders just enjoy the feeling of dominance hence they keep on harming the animals. With the current increase in population, there has been mounting pressure on land.

Humans are pushing away animals from their habitats due to lack or limited space for human existence. The human race is encroaching into land set out to host wild animals. The population of wild animals is also growing with their land growing smaller due to human encroachment.

This is also mounting pressure on the animal’s existence since they too are growing in numbers. In the process of encroachment, humans are destroying animals shelter and to some extent sources of food (Matas, 2008). This is cruelty and if allowed to go on it will pose a very negative effect to the existence and survival of wild animals. Domesticated animals as well are living in difficult conditions that do not favor their wellbeing at all costs.

Most of the domesticated animals include dogs, cats, chicken, cattle, goats and many others. These animals really require space to play and exercise in an open air. But instead, they are confined in small structured holding where they not even play or move around. This limits and infringes their rights as animals. Some extreme conditions are that the structures used to hold the animals are not well taken care of in terms of decency and cleanliness.

Most of them are unventilated dark places in the back yards where no living thing can confidently survive. In the event that an animal gets sick or feels unwell, medical attention is not easily accorded and sometimes the animal might even die out of an illness that could have been otherwise dealt with. However, animal credulity is not always intentional and in some instances, it happens due to economic factors that are beyond the owner’s ability to solve.

In a situation where an individual owns a pet but he or she cannot afford to provide the medical attention and nutrition needs of the dog, then cruelty may occur though it would be beyond the owner’s ability to address the issue. This is most likely to be seen in the third world countries where the people are not financially capable of financing some the required rights of an animal.

Veterinary services are normally very expensive and may be out of reach to many people in the third world countries. Poverty levels in these countries cannot allow an owner of a pet to even think about thee pets health needs as he or she has enough already to think about with regards to his or her financial needs that are even hard for him.

Animal cruelty has many adverse effects on both the environment and human existence. Focusing mostly on ethical effects, I will base my focus on the use of animals in general. My fundamental objection to the use of animals is influenced by the rampant genetic modification of animals to achieve scientific discoveries.

I specially target this practice considering the fact that the use of animals for such practices contravenes the whole idea of ethics in general not to mention professional and social ethics. Animals just like humans have interests and reasons to live. Compromising the lives of animals to satisfy human interests is just unethical and cruel in all angle of justification. I do not believe that human interests should be put above the interests of animals.

Causing animal’s pain is unacceptable and very cruel to even think about. Genetic modification has been the worst activity that has seen the suffering of animals at the expense of human interest. Genetic modification is unnatural way of altering the DNA formula in an individual living thing. With the widely accepted reasoning that justifies the DNA modification of animals to achieve solutions to human problems, there is one major setback; the results and long-term effects of the modification to the modified animal.

The harm that the modified animal will be exposed to is the main concern of ethics. Changing the genetic makeup of an animal goes as far as to replicate the alterations to its progeny and so on and so forth. This may even give rise to totally different species’ characteristics changing the whole identity of the animal. This might cause other accrued effects that may have global effects. Genetic engineering undermines the integrity of animals with the practice causing welfare problems in animals.

Techniques used to genetically modified animals are to greater extents harmful to the animals. This includes gene deletion which alters the general characteristics of an animal. Animal cruelty has many negative effects on human the animals themselves. Causing injury to animals can adversely affect the animal by increasing aggression (Pierce, 2007).

A dog for example that has been mistreated becomes more aggressive and unfriendly to people due to fear. This makes the animal very hostile and hence affecting its normal welfare.

By physically assaulting animals, several harms can occur; the animal may lose reproductive fitness if its reproductive parts are tampered with during the assault, the animal might develop digestive malfunctioning and nutrition disorders due to loss desire for food, physically assaulting an animal can also result into increased stress hormones in the animal as well as increased heart rate and consequently blood pressure goes up.

Although more than 42 states have in recent times prepared some systems to define animal abuse crimes, anti-cruelty laws are varying extensively from state to state. In the meantime, most public prosecutors are reluctant to charge or impeach animal cruelty offenses equated to other crimes, with the exception of situations where the crimes are extreme.

The unwillingness emanates from a range of aspects comprising of real or apparent inadequate means to do so; inexperienced staff; partial or substandard investigations; pressure from the public to pay attention on other crimes; and prejudice against taking animal exploitation seriously as a violent crime.

Social education on how to treat and handle animals with care should be incorporated in schools and strict measures should be taken to ensure that students uphold them. The authorities should provide the public with toll free numbers for reporting cases of animal cruelty. Most of the time people can see offenders carry out a crime but people do not know what cause of action they can take in regards to reporting the felony.

Sometimes an offender is mistreating his or her own pet but no one can ask them to stop. This can be averted if the relevant authorities can offer help by providing the public with ways and means through which the public can reach them with ease. The public can be more alert and vigilant to watch around the neighborhood for such law offenders. Animal cruelty in most circumstances happens because nobody is watching around and stopping offender.

It is evident even on the streets you can see children throwing stone on a dog and no body passing by can stop them of caution them let alone calling the relevant authorities. Some of the abuses animals are subjected to include dog fighting and cock fighting. Animals are subjected to painful identification marks which are put using extremely hot metals on the surface of their bodies (Weisner & Sheard1993).

This is done without a pain relievers or anesthesia. Animal cruelty is seen especially while an animal is being taken to the slaughter house. If the animal is injure on the way or it becomes tired, they ear bitten up and moved unassisted due to the fact that they are headed to death. Other abuses included breading animals for food consumption. A good example is that of broiler chicken that are raised to grow fat through genetic modifications.

This is done not considering the effects it has on the birds and animals generally but with the selfish human ambition to impress buyers. Electric cattle prods have been in use for a long time now. This is an electric gadget that used to induce an electric shock on cattle to make them move (Weisner & Sheard1993). This gadget transmits electric currents on the animal’s body and even though the voltage is very low to kill, it is enough to cause pain on the animal.

Social causes of cruelty are the most reported forms of animal cruelty. People with mental disorders are mostly prone to mishandling animals though most of time unknowingly. This may include causing harm to the animal without really intending to do so. For example, due to mental inability to weigh and reason out, a mentally challenged person may chain his or her pet dog with a very short chain. What the person does not understand is the fact that the dog needs to move freely around the compound (Reimer, 2007).

This kind of behavior is quit cruel and unfair to the pet. Immaturity is another cause of cruelty where by children go around throwing stones at animals on the way. Small boys are especially notorious with this behavior. Whenever a child sees a strolling dog or cat for that matter, the first thing that goes into their minds is to pick a stone and chase the animal away. However there are other individuals who will intentionally cause harm for various reasons with the cruelest one being to derive satisfaction.

The most vulnerable animals are the small domesticated animals which most of the times cannot defend themselves. Most of these offenders just enjoy the feeling of dominance hence they keep on harming the animals. With the current increase in population, there has been mounting pressure on land. Humans are pushing away animals from their habitats due to lack or limited space for human existence. The human race is encroaching into land set out to host wild animals.

The population of wild animals is also growing with their land growing smaller due to human encroachment. This is also mounting pressure on the animal’s existence since they too are growing in numbers. In the process of encroachment, humans are destroying animals shelter and to some extent sources of food. This is cruelty and if allowed to go on it will pose a very negative effect to the existence and survival of wild animals.

Domesticated animals as well are living in difficult conditions that do not favor their wellbeing at all costs. Most of the domesticated animals include dogs, cats, chicken, cattle, goats and many others. These animals really require space to play and exercise in an open air. But instead, they are confined in small structured holding where they not even play or move around.

This limits and infringes their rights as animals. Some extreme conditions are that the structures used to hold the animals are not well taken care of in terms of decency and cleanliness (Gruen, 2011). Most of them are unventilated dark places in the back yards where no living thing can confidently survive. In the event that an animal gets sick or feels unwell, medical attention is not easily accorded and sometimes the animal might even die out of an illness that could have been otherwise dealt with.

However, animal credulity is not always intentional and in some instances, it happens due to economic factors that are beyond the owner’s ability to solve. In a situation where an individual owns a pet but he or she cannot afford to provide the medical attention and nutrition needs of the dog, then cruelty may occur though it would be beyond the owner’s ability to address the issue. This is most likely to be seen in the third world countries where the people are not financially capable of financing some the required rights of an animal.

Considering the numerous scientific studies, it is imperative to note that emotional harm actually hurts more than the physical harm does and this is true also to animals as well. Animal cruelty has many adverse effects on both the environment and human existence. Focusing mostly on ethical effects, I will base my focus on the use of animals in general.

My fundamental objection to the use of animals is influenced by the rampant genetic modification of animals to achieve scientific discoveries. I specially target this practice considering the fact that the use of animals for such practices contravenes the whole idea of ethics in general not to mention professional and social ethics. Animals just like humans have interests and reasons to live. Compromising the lives of animals to satisfy human interests is just unethical and cruel in all angle of justification.

I do not believe that human interests should be put above the interests of animals. Causing animal’s pain is unacceptable and very cruel to even think about. Genetic modification has been the worst activity that has seen the suffering of animals at the expense of human interest. Genetic modification is unnatural way of altering the DNA formula in an individual living thing.

With the widely accepted reasoning that justifies the DNA modification of animals to achieve solutions to human problems, there is one major setback; the results and long-term effects of the modification to the modified animal. The harm that the modified animal will be exposed to is the main concern of ethics.

Changing the genetic makeup of an animal goes as far as to replicate the alterations to its progeny and so on and so forth. This may even give rise to totally different species’ characteristics changing the whole identity of the animal.

Social education on how to treat and handle animals with care should be incorporated in schools and strict measures should be taken to ensure that students uphold them.

Gruen, L. (2011). Ethics and animals: an introduction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Ingrid, N. (1999). You can save the animals: 251 ways to stop thoughtless cruelty /Ingrid newkirk. Rocklin, CA: Prima publishing.

Lockwood, R. (1998). Cruelty to animals and interpersonal violence: readings in Research and application / edited by Randall Lockwood and frank R. ascione. West Lafayette, Ind: Purdue University Press.

Matas, R. (2008). Man found guilty of microwaving a cat . New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Pierce, J. (2012). Emotional Pain in Animals: An Invisible World of Hurt . Recognizing the psychological effects of animal abuse. Psychology today. Web.

Reimer, K. (2007). Cruelty. Cruelty to animals. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Weisner, B.P., & Sheard, N.M. (1993) maternal behavior in the rat . Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd.

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IvyPanda. (2019, May 20). Animal Cruelty, Its Causes and Impacts. https://ivypanda.com/essays/animal-cruelty-research-paper/

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IvyPanda . (2019) 'Animal Cruelty, Its Causes and Impacts'. 20 May.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Animal Cruelty, Its Causes and Impacts." May 20, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/animal-cruelty-research-paper/.

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IvyPanda . "Animal Cruelty, Its Causes and Impacts." May 20, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/animal-cruelty-research-paper/.