Conor Resnikoff
Professor Powless
WRIT 1120
19 March 2018
Animal Welfare Laws
It’s been estimated that there are 900 to 2,000 new cases every year of animal hoarding, cruelty, and endangerment in the US, with 250,000 animals falling victim. Animal cruelty has been an issue that affects our modern day society all over the world. It is defined as human infliction upon non- human animal for purposes other than self defense. People are trying to help with animal welfare by finding out why and who is doing it, creating laws and ordinances, and making their voices heard in activist groups for the animals. I believe that as a society, we should strengthen the animal welfare laws in order to protect them from danger by human interactions.
Animal cruelty and inhumane acts towards non-human things is questionable why the people who partake in these activities do what they decide to do. Research has been happening to give an answer to why they do it, but it is has some deeper meaning than what others think. “There is an association between animal cruelty and subsequent antisocial behavior, including interpersonal violence, both in childhood and adulthood, and both within and outside families” (Arluke 2). The cruelty is brought by those who have been faced with it sometime during their lifetime, however that does not mean it for everyone. It is seen as a mental indicator or symptom of some mental defect or personality disorder.
Furthermore, interactions between human and animal can be socially analyzed due to the importance of animals in modern day society (Sanders 2). Depending on how the person’s purpose is with the animal it can show why they are cruel to them. Motivations to control, retaliate and have a prejudice against one species, or to express aggression towards the animal can be all personal or for just pure self pleasure. Animal cruelty has many reasons why it happens and people are trying to figure out and prevent it from happening.
The people who commit to animal cruelty is not just one type of person. However, it can be slimmed down and categorized by gender, age, and social culture. Males are more predominate to commit crimes of cruelty and other criminal acts. “Studies show a likelihood of animal abuser to commit other crimes: five times more to commit violent crimes against others, four times more to commit property crimes, and three more times to have a record for drug or disorderly conduct offenses” (Griffith 2). The criminal statistics make is observable to see how males are more likely to abuse animals compared to women which is less than ten percent of reported incidences of abuse. Furthermore, age of an individual can be observed on who is committing the crimes. A major focus is on the youth because data suggests that the prosecuted were young adults. This means they are more likely to commit expressive ways of cruelty without an actual goal but to just create physical contact with the animal they overpower.
Lastly, the social culture of the criminal may give a motivation to abuse. “Negative experiences within the family or dysfunction, represents a risk factor contribution to the development of childhood behavioral disorders” (Griffith 5). Psychological damage from an abuse family can affect how the person may act in the future. This means they may seek ways to let out their anger over something that they have more power over, meaning animals may be a reasonable thing to choose. Children learn how to abuse partly because of their social experience which includes violence in the family. Also, those who attack or kill animals are made in an effort to intimidate, frighten or control others (McPurden 2). Abusive relationships in couples with companion animals are likely to have the animal to be abused in order to show a point to the spouse. Many relationships like that relate in them splitting in order for the companion to be saved from furthermore damage. Not one type of person can be the purpose of animal cruelty, it is spread out in a spectrum that can be socially observed.
Action has been established to beat animal cruelty around the nation by creating laws and ordinances on how cruelty should be eradicated and punished for those who are caught. Animal welfare has not been a large topic in state legislature due to its low awareness in the mid 1900s. For the animals being used commercially and scientifically, a act in 1966 helped for their safety. “Under the 1966 Animal Welfare Act, large breeders are required to obtain a license to ensure they maintain a certain standard of care for their animal” (Etter 3). This was a way that regulated care for animals on a federal level. The license and registration made the breeders liable to their acts which were monitored by federal regulators. If these breeders and dealers were to violate the policy of the act, they were to be fined and maybe even imprisoned depending on how severe they acted towards the animals.
However, some recent laws have been noticed with flaws within them because they may just be helping people instead. “According to many observers, current laws fail to protect animals and have little deterrent effect. They are ineffective because enacted not to protect animals but to protect humans from other humans and to do so while only minimally inferring with property rights” (Flynn 5). These laws show that humans may be able to use them as an advantage for themselves due to the major flaws in the system. The laws do not give animal rights but to give them legal protection instead. They protect humans as well as animals through morality, which keeps people narrow into protecting living things. Animal welfare laws can be overall helpful but do face some problems on their way to protect.
Animal rights activist groups are a way to help animals which motivates people to give a hand in ending animal cruelty. Groups like PETA, Animal Equality, and many more are large organizations with members who want to give rights and rescue mistreated animals from their harmful environments. “Animal rights activism entails strong moral and emotional commitments to the well-being of nonhuman animals in society” (Kilroy 2). This overrides any boundary with private and public life, making the individual look more significantly in their relationships with the outside world. Being open minded for helping a cause is a way for the organizations understand how to establish ways to be heard around by other civilians.
Furthermore, the importance of emotions in mobilizing activists bring a change of behavior for awakening moral sensibilities. “Animal rights movements have made good use of corporeal capacities to be affected by animal images that trigger mimetic responses and produce responses both from public audiences and movement members” (Hannson 8). The media is a largely known for having documentation of graphic images of the what animal cruelty is really like. For example, commercials on the television that have animals which are being mistreated and shows the type of environment they were living in with somber background music. This type of media messaging produces a shock factor for the audience’s emotions. The exposure to these shocks can be important in explaining why people join animal right organizations.
Animal welfare is an important topic because people are figuring out who and why criminals are doing it, new laws and ordinances made, and animal right activist groups are forming. Cruelty is can be socially observed and able to see who is doing it through statistics. Furthermore, the people committing the crime do it because of certain motives that make them abuse animals. Laws have been made to give animals right and protect them on a federal level. Lastly, animal activist organizations are forming to help the cause of properly caring for animals. Animal cruelty is a large problem in modern day society that needs more attention and regulation with human rights.
Work Cited
Etter, Lauren, and JILL SCHACHNER CHANEN. "How Much Is That Puppy In The
Window?." ABA Journal 100.8 (2014): 11-12. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 March 2018
“Fighting Animal Abuse." The Gambit: 15. Aug 20 2013. ProQuest. Web. 19 March 2018.
Flynn, Clifton P. "Acknowledging The "Zoological Connection": A Sociological Analysis Of
Animal Cruelty." Society & Animals 9.1 (2001): 71-87. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 March 2018.
Griffiths, Frank. "Paying Closer Attention: Reports of Animal Abuse are on the Rise -is there
More Cruelty Or Better Vigilance?" Worcester Magazine Aug 14 2001: 10. ProQuest. Web. 19 March 2018.
Hansson, Niklas, and Kerstin Jacobsson. "Learning To Be Affected: Subjectivity, Sense, And
Sensibility In Animal Rights Activism." Society & Animals 22.3 (2014): 262-288. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 March 2018.