FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Editor's Note: This report was originally scheduled to be released earlier this week. In light of the tragic events at Virginia Tech, we decided to hold this information until today.
Case by Case: Crimes Against Animals Flourish Across the United States
100 Cases of Extreme Brutality is a Snapshot of Nationwide Tragedy; Strong Laws Needed to Combat Cruelty says The Humane Society of the United States
WASHINGTON (April, 2007) -- Today, The Humane Society of the United States released a report detailing one hundred of the most extreme cases of animal cruelty to occur in the United States during 2006. The compilation is a snapshot of the true crimes happening to animals on any given day around the country.
The report is being released in coordination with Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week April 15-21.
"Our report exposes an alarming number of horrific crimes against animals," said Dale Bartlett, deputy manager of animal cruelty issues for The Humane Society of the United States. "By drawing attention to these graphic cruelty cases we hope to persuade the public, the courts and legislatures that animal cruelty is a serious threat to community safety and to the moral fabric of our society."
Nearly 2,500 individual animal cruelty cases were scrutinized by HSUS staff in compiling the report. Included in the report are hundreds of cases where animals suffered from intentional burning, stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, drowning, torture and other horrific illegal acts.
"Every person can make a difference by being an advocate for animals in their own neighborhood," said Bartlett. "Signs of neglect or other cruelty should be reported to the local animal control or law enforcement. People can protect their own communities by pulling animal cruelty out of the shadows and exposing it for the awful injustice it is."
A full copy of the report, organized alphabetically by the state in which the selected cases occurred, may be viewed at www.hsus.org/crueltyreport2006. Facts:
- 42 states have felony level provisions for egregious acts of animal cruelty.
- Pet abuse is a significant predictor of domestic partners who will become batterers (Campbell, 2006).
- As many as 71 percent of battered women report their partners threatened or killed the family pet (Ascione, 1995).
- Pets can be included in court protection orders in three states - Maine, Vermont and New York. Eleven states are considering "pet protection" legislation.
- Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Albert DeSalvo (the "Boston Strangler") and other serial killers committed heinous acts of animal cruelty before brutally maiming and killing their human victims.
- Over half of the young assailants responsible for shootings at schools across the United States were known to persistently abuse animals (Miner, 1999).
- In 1997, The HSUS launched the First Strike® campaign to raise awareness about the connection between animal cruelty and human violence. A first strike against an animal may be the first strike in a lifetime of violence. The HSUS educates professionals in law enforcement, social work, veterinary medicine, animal care and control, mental health and other fields on identifying ways to end violence in their communities.
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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization - backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- On the web at www.humanesociety.org. The Humane Society of the United States 2100 L St., NW Washington, DC 20037www.hsus.org Promoting the Protection of All Animals
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