Animal Cruelty Investigations - Essay Example

Animal Cruelty Animal cruelty can also be referred to as animal abuse. It is the human infliction of harmupon animals, for reasons other than self-defense. Animal abuse involves acts like killing animals for food or for their fur which is defined by the method used to kill the animal. Some people kill animals for amusement. Differing opinions are held by authorities all over the world. Laws regarding animal cruelty are aimed at preventing malicious cruelty towards animals. They are especially applied towards animal species not consumed as food in the country involved. An example are pets like dogs, cats etc (Arluke 183). This paper will examine the topic of animal cruelty in details by discussing various emerging issues and themes arising from the topic. Animal brutality investigations and trials have become regular dealings that interest extensive responsiveness. They cause massive emotion and attention, yet they can be difficult to follow. While certain people may see these cases as unimportant, actions against offenders of these crimes are being prosecuted like any other criminals. Animal cruelty is a crime as serious as any other cruelty crimes. Animal cruelty does not involve just beating up an animal. It also involves denying an animal food, water, basic medical care and shelter. Moreover, many animals are also protected by the law (Arluk 183). The neglect of animal can be classified into two sections. They are simple and gross neglect. Simple neglect involves depriving an animal of basic needs. It is normally not viewed as a crime and is usually resolved by intervention by animal control and care by educating the people on proper animal care. Gross neglect involves willful cruelty and malice towards an animal. Willful neglect is prosecutable by law as it is considered a serious crime. Avoidance of pointless animal abuse has been fundamental in laws in Western people for eras (Arluk 186). Governments and metropolises have reacted to the wellbeing of citizens by increasing the punishments for acts of brutality and providing better means for the investigation and trial of these offenses. The animal welfare states that animals can be used for food, clothing and research as long as this is done in a humane way. An example is the slaughter f cows or goats for domestic or commercial purposes. Animal should not be subjected to any kind of suffering. Animal rights activists disagree with this. They argue that many people may misinterpret the word humane and they rule pout the idea of animals being viewed as commodities. Teaching on the investigation of and reaction to crimes against animals is progressively being contained within the standards of police training. There have been a number of researches that show the possibility that those who have previously repeated deeds of deliberate violence towards animals are at higher possibility of doing the same thing towards people in the future. The crime rates of animal abusers were rated five times greater than those of non-abusing persons (Linzey 93). There are many reasons why people abuse animals. This could be for religious purposes, for entertainment which is called zoo sadism and psychological disorders. There are people who perform religious rituals for divination. Animals are slaughtered as they are believed to bring healing and good luck. Animal sacrifices are also very common. Some religions believe that sacrificing animals will appease their gods and spirits. There are psychopathologies that have abuse against animals as one of the signs. People who have been imprisoned for rape and murder have also had a history of animal abuse. This shows that it is a sign of a mental disorder. These people tend to kill animals brutally as an expression of anger or for fun. People who exhibit cruelty towards animals are therefore dangerous to the people in the society as well as to the animals (Linzey 143). There has been a great issue of animal cruelty in film and television. Film makers have been accused of causing harm to animals during production. Some of the instances include skinning a frog alive in a South Korean film. In another case, a monkey is beheaded and its brains eaten. In Hollywood, a great film called heaven’s Gate consisted of scenes of animal brutality. Chickens and horses were brutally murdered and their blood smeared on actors. Circuses are also places where animals have been abused. The circus uses animals for entertainment where they train them to perform tricks. Most complaints are on lack of regular veterinary care, abuse during training, use of whips, chains and other training equipment, caging of animals and lack of supervision by authorities (Beirne 191). Bull fighting is also classified as animal cruelty. Activists and animal welfare associations have argued that it causes suffering and injury to animals. Many people view it as a source of entertainment. There is the practice of animal branding. It is accepted by law although animal rights activists view it as cruelty. This shows just how law interprets animal cruelty in a diverse way. There are many different activist s that fight for animal rights. An example is the vegans and vegetarians. These groups of people feel that animals should not be used as food. They should be protected instead of being eaten and used as source of clothing. Vegans do not eat any animal products. They do not eat any type of meat, cheese, eggs, milk and honey. They do not also wear any clothes made from animal skin or hides. Vegetarians do not eat any kind of meat but take products from animals. These people do this in an effort to crate awareness on animal rights. There are a number of things that may raise alarm on animal cruelty. These include wounds on the body of the animal, pests’ infestation, starvation, limping, physically hitting an animal, lack of shelter in extreme weather conditions and even missing fur or hair. Animal cruelty is found in homes where people keep pets, in the media like movies and the internet. Most animal abuse instances are reported to the humane Law Enforcement offices by witnesses who are usually citizens that show concern through phone calls. People are responsible for animals and when they harm them, the law intervenes. Animal abuse crimes are easy to prove in a court of law which in turn makes them carry the most severe consequences. Animal cruelty laws are not similar in many countries and states. Every citizen should know the laws and regulations on animals. Cruelty to animals causes instability in communities because both animals and human beings become hostile to each other. An example is that when a humans living in a society are continuously harsh to animals, in an act of self animals will also be harsh to human beings making the society a dangerous environment to live. People react very greatly to incidences of animal abuse. There are rewards of millions of dollars offered to animal victims. People have empathy for animals because they view them as innocent victims. This makes their victimization more disturbing to the community that human to human related crimes. Law enforcers are often faced by enraged community members as they demand action to be taken against perpetrators. Community members view animal protection policies as very important to their neighborhoods. Modern-day juvenile justice trial stresses on a Sensible Tactic that protects public security, criminal responsibility and ability expansion. In juvenile lawbreakers, animal cruelty may be one of the first severe crimes to be reported and put on trial, providing the chance for mediation at a point where it is best probable to have encouraging long-term effects. Juvenile offenders add up to 30% of all severe animal abuse cases reported in the media (The Global Guide to Animal Protection 67). Prosecutors have a great challenge in defining exactly what animal cruelty is. Different states have different definitions of animal abuse most of which are outdated. Some laws do not define what an animals. This leaves a loop hole as to which animals are protected and which ones are not. In Alaska, the law defines an animal as a vertebrate non human creature. This leaves animals like fish out. In Missouri, fowls are not classified as animals but birds like parrots are classified as animals. Animal cruelty is also defined differently. Some states state that one should not treat any animal in a cruel manner whether it belongs to him or to someone else. Other laws defines cruelty as overdriving and overloading car with an animal inside, overworking and torturing, denying of basic needs, mutilation, unjustifiable injury, physical abuse, caging and poisoning. Witnessing the above or assisting to do the above acts is also punishable by law (Gullone 141). There are socially accepted practices that are permitted by the law. Most states exempt these practices even when they might result to pain and suffering to animals. Some of the exemptions include veterinary practice, research, animal husbandry, hunting, pets control and rodeos. Animal cruelty is prosecuted according to categories ranging from animal hoarding, organized abuse, intentional abuse, simple neglect and gross, willful and malicious neglect. As much as there is law and regulations to protect animals, it is morally right for a person to take care of an animal. There is no logic behind harming an animal apart from self defense. A human being is intellectually higher that an animal. This should be an automatic responsibility for human beings to take care of an animal without having to be forced by the law. There are animals that are reared for food and some as companions. This makes people misinterpret cruelty. Animals that are not meant to be food should not be eaten. People do this for fun and for religious practices which are just morally wrong (Gullone 141). There are always exemptions because some individuals live in hardship areas like the deserts. This then makes the life of the human being more important than that of the animal. This people can therefore pass for eating any kind of animal for survival. In such situations, people do not have a choice but to survive (Gullone 145). They are therefore allowed to eat anything as long as it keeps them alive. People who are not in such situations have no excuse to eat legally unaccepted animals. Beating an animal for any reason apart from self defense is not also acceptable. Most animals that undergo physical abuse are donkeys and bulls. They are beasts of burden but people tend to abuse this. They whip them to overwork them thereby causing bodily harm to them. In addition, dogs are also victims of physical abuse by human being. A dog should be professionally trained so as to acquire the basic etiquette. Beating it up when it makes a mistake is cruelty. Hence, a dog or any other animal for that matter does not have a brain like that of a human. An example is that Just like a child is natured and taught to develop good courtesy, so should a dog be trained to have admirable ethics (Linzey 159). This does not mean tolerating ill mannered animals. There are more humane punishments for animals. It is a citizens’ responsibility to report cases of animal abuse to the authorities. One can either make a call or report this in person. There are procedures that should be taken when one is reporting such cases. It is always good to keep record of the person contacted, the date and any documents that are provided. One is advised to take pictures of the incidences being reported. However, this should be done with great care so as to protect oneself from harm. When it involves a dangerous person or even a close person, then anonymity is given to the person who reports (Ascione 125). In sum, if you realize that it has taken a long time to get a response from an animal control officer, you are advised to make a follow up call. If nothing is done about the case, then one can call a supervisor. There are many actions that could be taken including taking the animal away from the abuser, educating the abuser on proper animal care or jail terms for malicious neglect. Animals are also put in foster care when they are neglected by the owner (Linzey 76). Therefore, it is the moral duty of any person to directly take care of an animal in their possession or indirectly by ensuring that animals in their neighborhood are correctly cared for. Works Cited Arluke, Arnold. Just a Dog: Understanding Animal Cruelty and Ourselves. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2006. Internet resource. Ascione, Frank R. The International Handbook of Animal Abuse and Cruelty: Theory, Research, and Application. West Lafayette, Ind: Purdue University Press, 2008. Print. Beirne, Piers. Confronting Animal Abuse: Law, Criminology, and Human-Animal Relationships. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. Print. Gullone, Eleonora. Animal Cruelty, Antisocial Behaviour, and Aggression: More Than a Link. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print. Linzey, Andrew. The Link between Animal Abuse and Human Violence. Brighton [England: Sussex Academic Press, 2009. Print. Linzey, Andrew. The Link between Animal Abuse and Human Violence. Brighton [England: Sussex Academic Press, 2009. Print. Salem, Deborah J, and Andrew N. Rowan. The State of the Animals, 2001. Washington, D.C: Humane Society Press, 2001. Print. The Global Guide to Animal Protection. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2013. Internet resource. Read More