Identifying Animal Cruelty
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”   ...Gandhi
“Ahimsa means not to injure any creature by thought, word or deed, not even to the supposed advantage of this creature.” ...Gandhi

What is Animal Cruelty? 

Click photos for larger images

Ask around and you will find that people have differing opinions. However, a person’s opinion of what constitutes animal cruelty may not be supported by the law. For example, many people feel that domestic pets should live inside the home with their families. Nevertheless, some people insist their pets live exclusively outdoors. This is permitted by the law (as long as the pets have proper shelter and proper care) and therefore is not legally considered to be animal cruelty. On the other hand, certain animal activities might be acceptable to some cultural groups but not to others. For example, cockfighting is a legal and popular activity in many Asian and Central American countries. In almost every state in the U.S., cockfighting is illegal due to the severe suffering of the birds, which painfully fight to the death.  

It is cruel to:

• Maliciously and intentionally maim, mutilate, beat, torture, torment, wound, or kill an animal
• Overdrive, overload, or overwork animals (such as horses) Deprive of necessary sustenance, access to water, shelter, veterinary care, and exercise
• Poison animals
• Abandon an animal
• Fail to provide proper care for animals in pet shops
• Cruelly transport animals in a vehicle
• Fight animals against each other or against people for amusement or gain
• Train animals to fight "Pole" horses (training them to jump by hitting them on the legs with sticks with sharp points)
• Fasten live animals to machines to lure dogs
• Use bristle-burs, tack-burs, etc. to incite an animal to buck (such as rodeo animals)
• Stage bullfights
• Dock (amputate) the tails of horses
• Abuse elephants by depriving them of food, water, or rest; use of electricity; physical punishment resulting in damage, scarring, or breakage of skin
• Insertion of any instrument into any bodily orifice; use of martingales and block and tackle.

This is not an exhaustive list, and the law sets forth certain provisions for each crime.

If you believe you have witnessed, or are aware of, acts of animal cruelty please report them to local authorities

Your report could make the difference of life or death for the animal.