Summary of Responses. This guide begins by describing the problem of animal cruelty and reviewing factors that increase its risks. It then identifies a series of questions to help you analyze your local animal cruelty problem. Finally, it reviews responses to the problem and what is known about these from evaluative research and police practice. Animal cruelty is but one aspect of the larger set of problems related to animals.
This guide is limited to addressing the particular harms created by animal cruelty. Related problems not directly addressed in this guide, each of which requires separate analysis, include the following:.
Some of these related problems are covered in other guides in this series, all of which are listed at the end of this guide. For the most up-to-date listing of current and future guides, see www. Animal cruelty includes many kinds of mistreatment, from temporarily failing to provide essential care to the malicious killing or repeated torturing of an animal.
Every state defines animal cruelty differently, both in terms of the specific actions that are prohibited and the categories of animals that are protected. For example, hunting is exempted from animal cruelty laws and livestock are not protected, even though in both cases the animals are killed and quite often suffer. Laws in some states protect wild animals from frivolous harm e.
Animal cruelty cases tend to span the jurisdictions of several state and local agencies and departments, and the agency officially responsible for handling animal cruelty cases varies. Some jurisdictions have sophisticated programs within animal welfare organizations e. They may be called animal cruelty enforcement agents, humane law enforcement agents, cruelty investigators, or animal control officers, and while they may have the legal authority to investigate and enforce animal cruelty laws, the public often grants them less legitimacy than police.
In places without local animal welfare organizations, police may be solely responsible for enforcing all animal-protection laws. The intense public reaction to animal cruelty cases covered by the media suggests that the public is concerned about the treatment of animals and believes animal cruelty to be a social problem worthy of police attention. While some cases will be arduous, involving lengthy investigations, search warrants, and complex crime scenes, most cases of animal cruelty are not particularly complicated.
Particularly in cases of simple neglect, police who identify the signs of animal cruelty can offer information, suggestions for improving animal care, or warnings, which will usually rectify the situation before a serious tragedy occurs.
While specialized training is desirable, particularly for complicated hoarding cases or cases of physical abuse that will be prosecuted, most police officers need only a basic familiarity with animals' health and normal states of being to identify the warning signs of animal cruelty. These signs may include the following: 7. National crime-reporting systems do not monitor animal cruelty. Doing so would be very difficult, because enforcement authority is scattered across thousands of state and local agencies, laws vary across states, and standardized reporting structures have not been developed.
The two major efforts to collect data on the prevalence of animal mistreatment rely primarily on media reports, rather than enforcement records, as the source. It discontinued the project because of excessive demands on staff Lockwood While the website includes a search engine and crime-mapping capabilities, it includes only those cases with a media reference or that proceeded to court. As of April 18, , the database included over 17, cases in six countries.
Despite the lack of national data, most researchers agree that cases of neglect constitute the vast majority of animal cruelty cases. As a result, the public may not fully understand the prevalence and nature of animal cruelty. Veterinarians suspicious of animal abuse need to understand how to recognize the signs of abuse and document these cases.
Increasingly, veterinarians are asked to serve as expert witnesses and to assist in establishing forensic evidence. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association recognizes the vital role that veterinarians play in protecting animals and in creating safe and humane communities. The CVMA intends this website to serve as a helpful resource for veterinary practitioners faced with animal abuse. This includes the CVMA position statement, which recognizes that veterinarians are in a position to observe occasions of animal abuse and have a moral obligation to report suspected cases.
Animal Abuse. By hurting the animals, an abuser is sending the message that a human victim could be next. Children who witness such abuse are three times more likely to abuse animals and to play a role in an abusive relationship later in life.
When an animal is abused, a chain reaction begins in our community. Not only does an innocent animal get injured, but the person who commits the offense often falls into a cycle that could ultimately result in violence against other people. The evidence of a link between cruelty to animals and violence toward humans is compelling. In fact, people who abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crime.
Animal abuse, like many other forms of abuse, is about power and control over a helpless victim.
0コメント