Should animal abuse be considered violent crime

[Catherine]

The group One Green Planet has raised the issue of animal abuse and whether it should be considered a violent crime. The answer is obvious, but right now under the law, it is not considered a violent crime to hurt an animal. People who do horribly cruel things get fined and sometimes not that much.

We still struggle with the perception that animals are property and as such are not protected from violence any more than a chair is. You break a chair it is a property issue. It is good enough to replace the chair. We still don't see animal abuse for what it is. It is a warning sign about someone's behavior. Abusers understand the issue. They are cruel to animals and they are cruel to people. They don't draw a line. Because we do, the abusers are getting away with Murder.


http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsand...-106359789

We will have to change the law, but it is worth it if only to protect ourselves. How could anyone doubt that animal abuse is a violent crime?

[LPC]

Well, the article makes its point very clearly. I was alarmed to read one passage: "The woman who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty for starving a pit bull, stuffing him in a trash bag and tossing him down a garbage chute in Newark, N.J., must serve probation and pay restitution to the animal care group that helped rescue the pup."

If someone did that to a human baby, imagine what the sentence would be! That shows the difference very starkly in the way human and animal cruelty are treated. In my book, cruelty is cruelty....

[Tobi]

Yes it is violent crime. Women were at one time considered as 'property'....and so were Black or Indian slaves of white colonialists.

Cruelty is cruelty, and anyone who is capable of heinous crimes against any being, will not necessarily draw the line when it comes to humans. In fact, the more they do and get away with, the more they are likely to progress to further crimes, and I think criminal psychology studies back this up.

[Catherine]

You are right on all counts. The issue is not what or who someone is cruel towards, but rather the fact that that they are cruel. We draw these artificial lines between people and animals and we used to draw lines between male and female(in some countries we still do) and different racial and ethnic groups.
We need to recognize that cruelty in itself is the crime, not who or why or any other reason that excuses it.

Until we work on the root cause no one is safe. I wish we knew why some people are cruel. I wish we could fix them. Until we do we must stop making excuses, like "It was only and animal, not a person". As long as we dismiss animals like that we are part of the cruelty.

[anilova]

It makes me cry when I read about animal abuse. And then it makes me mad that these cruel, heartless people ( actually, they are less to me than the abused animals ) get punishments which are usually a joke ( a fine, a ban to own a pet and other silly things like that). I know - what I am going to say now, will sound terribly and malicious - but it is the way I personally feel after learning about pain inflicted or/and taking life of an innocent animal. I wish every person who makes animals suffer should experience the same kind of suffering. This dentist who killed and beheaded Cecil... He has no heart, why does he needs his head for? That woman who drowned a puppy to be able to board a plane... I wish I could put her head into toilet full of crap. The other monster woman who boiled six dogs in a hot vehicle... Leave her in a locked car for an hour or so on a hot, hot day!!!!
No, I would not take their lives, I am not them, but I want them to feel the pain these poor creatures felt before dying. Animals are not things or items!!! They are beautiful, intelligent creatures with personalities, feelings and emotions. To me, some people are not even on equal level with, for example, dogs if it comes to loyalty or unconditional love. To answer the question in the post subject I would say: yes, it should be considered a crime. It is not realistic to make it a violent crime ever ( the law makers are not very compassionate people ), but at least a crime with some severe consequences. It would be, hopefully, a progress to reduce the senseless, cruel acts. And there are a way too many of them every day in every corner of the world. We need to really punish all the stupid, heartless monsters who call themselves "people". They are killers!!!!

[Catherine]

I understand how you feel. It is hard not to be angry about animal abuse.
The sentences given are nothing compared to the crime.

We do need to classify animal abuse as violent crime because it is by nature violent. We are coming to realize that a tendency to violence does not distinguish between animals and humans. Once we recognize that we can deal with animal abuse more firmly.

Recognizing animals as creatures that should be protected from violence would show that we are maturing as a society. I think laws will be changed. The man who killed Cecil can be prosecuted under anti poaching laws. I don't know if they can do it, but if he gets off in a court of law, he won't get off in the court of public opinion.
In the end justice is done. Sometimes it takes longer.

The man who abused a puppy on an elevator(in front of a camera) ended up losing his job because people pressured the company he works for. In at least this case there were consequences.

[platy]

How's this for irony. A former cop and supposed animal rights campaigner. Only had to pay $114,000 and pretty much a slap on the wrist. Still allowed to own horses even with all the evidence of how she's treated them in the past. She's an appalling person.
Are animal welfare laws backwards? Definitely.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/ns...7131178188

[Catherine]

We know the animal welfare laws are not strong enough. They are also not applied properly. I am sure she got off so easy because she used to be a police officer. No animal abuser ever gets a sentence that fits the nature of the crime.

Right now they can't even enforce a ban on owning animals.

[JasonW]

Like you've said, a crime is a crime, or so it should be. Animals are sentient beings and therefore have feelings and emotions. We tend to think we are more important because of all the things we can do, but that's only from a human perspective. It hurts to hear about animal abuse in any form but what we need to remember is that it comes from mis-education and issues with the humans. Something has been done to them to act that way, or they have been taught that it doesn't matter because they are 'just' animals.

[Tobi]

Yes I think animal abuse should be considered as a violent crime. Humans should not treat animals with cruelty, they should not treat children with cruelty either, or other adults!

Criminal psychologists have linked animal abuse in earlier stages of a criminal's life, with abuses against humans and even murder further down the line.