Imagine being thrown in cage, beaten, starved or forced to do something for no reason… other than someone else’s entertainment. We have all seen those ASPCA commercials showing depressing pictures of beaten and starved animals asking for help, yet animal cruelty/abuse is still a major problem. Even though on average, 1,920 animal cruelty cases are reported in the media each year, thousands of cases are unreported or unnoticed by the public (Animal Cruelty Facts and Stats). Regardless of animal cruelty being a felony which can result in jail time and thousands of dollars in fines, it is still something which occurs on a daily basis across the United States and it needs to be addressed in affective ways. To understand the issue, we must define key terms related to animal cruelty. Animal cruelty is defined “ legally… as any act of violence or neglect that inflicts suffering or death on an animal” and it consists of two parts: passive and active (Animal Cruelty). Passive cruelty is when animals are neglected by their owners, usually unknowingly or unwillingly. For example, when a person hoards dozens of animals at a time and doesn’t have the means to care for every single one of them, the animals are withheld the necessary care like food, water, shelter, veterinary care, etc. Active cruelty, on the other hand, is when an animal is abused with the intention of inflicting injury or death. This is seen in bloodsport, like dogfighting, in torture, beating, mutilation, poisoning, or shooting or when the animal is kept in a confined cage (Animal Cruelty). Active cruelty is also seen in puppy mills or in situations that turn a profit, like trafficking or animal breeding. The USDA provides many guidelines regarding the care standards of the animals in the breeding mills, however most of them have up to a thousand breeding animals so their care comes second to the profit they make off of the offsprings. As early as five BC, Greek scientists have cut open live animals to study their inner workings and used them to test whether or not drugs were safe to administer to humans. In 1876, England passed the Cruelty to Animals Act, which gave researchers certain guidelines to abide to in order to get a license to test on
Animal Cruelty is a problem that many ignore. People are oblivious to these animals and the negligence their owners show. Animal cruelty is an underlying problem in today’s society, and the only way to counteract these problems, is for this generation to do something about it.
Animal testing has been one of the issues that people are fighting overtime because of its moral. Even though some results of tests are successful on people, many people are still fighting for the animal’s rights. They believe that animals should have their own rights to live a free life where they belong, just like their species. In scientists point of view, animals have been one of the main subjects to test on, but a lot of them are currently looking forward to use and develop alternatives for the cruel act of animal testing.
Every 60 seconds an animal is abused. Dogs, cats, horses, and many other types of animals are being neglected and tortured everyday, yet resulting in few and minor consequences for the perpetrators. Animal abuse is prevalent in the United States and has been an ongoing issue since the 1970's, and prior to. Society as a whole has chosen to avoid the facts and arguments about animal cruelty, because to some it is seen as acceptable and typical. It becomes much more frowned upon when people actually see the results of the cruelty, especially in the media.
Why would anyone abuse an animal? Animal abuse is rather common, you could be doing it even if you don’t think you are. There are many animals that deal with abuse or neglect, about 1,423 animals a year. That’s in the U.S. alone. Animals are living creatures, just like you, and they’re not cheap. Neglect is another version of abuse, and it can come in many forms. Neglect could be starving them, not giving them medical care, not paying attention to them, etc, etc. Animals are just like humans, I mean, sure they can’t make their own meals, and they can’t drive a car, but that doesn’t mean they have fewer rights than you do. If an animal is abused or neglected the animal will be taken and the owner should be charged. If someone abuses an
Many people may not know that animal cruelty has been around for hundreds of years. . In the article "Animal Cruelty Prosecution" published by American Prosecution Research Institute found that, The Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony established “The Body of Liberties” found by the Animal Cruelty Prosecution, in 1641. The Body of Liberties was a document written for the protection of animals from unnecessary pain and suffering. Animal cruelty happens every day whether it is from starving, beating, lack of medical care or proper housing for animals. We are in need of stricter laws to help fight the rights of animals. Animal laws should be more strict on people
Over the centuries, animals have suffered from cruelty from humans. In the United States, animals are beaten, neglected, or forced to struggle for survival. Animals have been inflicted with pain from humans for reasons other than self-defense. They have been slaughtered for their food and fur for personal gain in profit. In a majority of cases they have even been abused for someone’s own personal amusement or out of rage filled impulses. In some cases animals are found and rescued. They are given the second chance in life to experience what life should be like compared to what they once had.
Animal cruelty is a tremendous issue concerning the United States and has a large link to abuse toward humans. On DoSomething.org (n.d.), they found that “Today animal cruelty has been reported in urban, suburban, and rural settings in all regions of the country” (para. 6). But at the same time, there is animal welfare, which can protect animals when they have been mistreated. Individuals who participate in animal cruelty are more likely to engender harm to humans. In Rescue Ink (2010), found that “70% of animal abusers also have records of other crimes - often violent crimes” (para. 3). In addition to, there is a myriad of research and statistics that emphasizes how several components increase the link between abuse to animals and abuse to humans. The largest components are: households where domestic violence occurs, individuals who become serial killers, and individuals that grew up with a disturbing childhood.
Each year, the most extreme cases of animal abuse receive media attention. Yet, the animal cruelty problem is more widespread than is reported in the media. Animal abuse and neglect is a nationwide issue, affecting thousands of animals nationwide. Cruelty to animals is defined as the infliction of physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, beyond what is necessary. There is a need to stop abusers from acting in such a horrific manner–preventing the neglect and suffering of the animals. What causes animal abusers to act in such a cruel way towards animals? How are cases of animal abuse being managed, and how should cases be handled? Finally, does the status of animals in society contribute to the rate of their abuse?
The act of animal abuse across the US is increasing dramatically without great punishment. Animal abuse is defined as “acts of violence or neglect perpetrated against animals” (Petfinder). The act of animal abuse is currently punished with a “Three Strikes Law” which gives a felony charge and twenty-five year to a full life sentence if convicted of animal abuse three times. This law should be extended to first time abusers. The penalty should not only be extended for those accused of animal cruelty, but the government should work harder to encourage people to foster animals to keep them off of the streets and out of the shelters. People should increase their actions to protect the safety of domesticated animals.
With nearly 2.7 million animals euthanized each year, animal abuse and abandonment has been a massive problem in society (“Shelter Intake” 2). Animal abuse is not limited to just the abuse of cats or dogs within a home, animal abuse can also be seen on farms, racetracks, dog fighting, dog racing, and horse carriages. Different organizations, such as the American Humane Association, have also seen a correlation between animal abuse and domestic violence. The American Humane Association stated that “71% of pet-owning women entering women’s shelters reported that their batterer had injured, maimed, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or to psychologically control victims. Even with this data, it is still hard to prosecute and getting
Animals are subjects to inhumane treatment by the hands of many individuals, however there is little done in order to protect them from this form of physical and neglectful treatment. Though there are several laws against this type of conduct, a great deal of animal abuse is unforeseen and these animals are victims whom cannot protect themselves. The state of New York describes felony animal cruelty as, “intentionally and without just cause seriously injuring or killing an animal” (Iannacone 2011). Yet often, individuals are not punished harshly for their crimes against animals. There are a number of reasons as to why individuals are cruel towards animals, ranging from: unintentional ignorance, personal gain such as money or food,
For many years now the world has seen controversy over the rights of animals and if they think and feel like humans do. Many people see animals as mindless creatures or as food, while others think they have emotions and can feel pain. In other countries animal protection laws are in place that are strictly enforced and seem to work well with the system. In the United States however; some of the animal rights laws are considered to be useless and under-enforced (Animal Legal & Historical Center). More people today are beginning to see that animals should have rights and should be protected by laws and regulations (Animal Legal & Historical Center). Sadly there are many people residing in the United States who don’t take animal rights or protection laws seriously. These people abuse animals in many ways, including food industries that disobey the regulations set in place for the slaughter of animals used for consumption. Luckily for the animals there are people who fight for their rights and the enforcement of laws called animal rights activists.
There is a problem that plagues America, a problem which you are the judge, in which you decide whether to give the helpless victims a life or pain and misery or provide them with a long happy life. This problem is animal cruelty. Animal cruelty as many of us know is the mistreatment of the animals, and can also be categorized as animal abuse or animal neglect. But what most of us don’t know is just how common animal cruelty takes place and affects our life, what the animals need to endure to bring us our daily necessities and how we can help put an end to this atrocity. So it is time that we wake up and get informed of all the problems that lurk in
Many companies, like McDonalds, lie about what actually goes on at their farms. “Free range” “Cruelty free” “Killed in a humane way” Those are just some the things that consumers are told and believe everyday. Saying thank you to the animal before munching on its flesh and bones doesn’t excuse what happens to them. The abuse and torture animals go through at factory farms isn’t fair and needs to be stopped immediately.
Most mornings I wake up, eat breakfast, get dressed…you know the drill, but then I apply my makeup, paint my eyelashes and spray myself with deodorant. I undertake this tedious routine every morning just to make myself look pretty, to make myself feel pretty. One morning while standing in front of the mirror, applying my cheap, low budget, Maybelline foundation purchased from Kmart, it occurred to me that, in all likelihood, the very liquid I was applying to my face had once caused an innocent creature to suffer pain. There was no indication on the bottle otherwise, to ease my guilt.