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| The Truth About Animal Cruelty By: Stephanie Jelenic-Deb Animals are great, which is why almost everyone owns a pet. Some people like dogs, other prefer cats, and there are those who love the little furry ones; rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, hamsters, and gerbils. Everyone has their favorite, and anyone who has a pet knows that it’s not just an animal – it’s a part of the family. Unfortunately, not everyone shares these views about animals. Animal cruelty has become a large problem in the United States. The legal defenion of animal cruelty is - the crime of inflicting physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, usually a tame one, beyond necessity for normal discipline. It can include neglect that is so monstrous (withholding food and water) that the animal has suffered, died or been put in imminent danger of death. The Truth about Abuse Ryan Huling is the college campaign coordinator for peta2, which is the youth division of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals); he has been involved with PETA for two years. It is his responsibility to correspond with college students and activists to raise awareness about cruelty-to-animals issues. Peta2 works together in trying to expand vegetarian options in cafeterias, to get schools to offer alternatives to dissection, and to educate people about how they can stop the abuse of animals. Ryan said, “Studies have shown that people who abuse the family dog or cat often go on to abuse humans down the line. In fact, police and law enforcement officers often look into the criminal history of people who abuse their domestic partners and have found that they often started by abusing animals. It's all connected.” Cruel acts toward animals have long been recognized as indicators of a dangerous psychopathy that often claims more than animal victims. Surveys and studies show that animal abuse and human abuse are often partners in crime. There are many things that we can do to help our animal friends; urge your school to take cruelty to animals seriously, don’t ignore minor acts of cruelty to animals by children – go talk to their parents about it, and be aware of signs of neglect or abuse – report suspected crimes to authorities. We must all join the fight to protect our animal companions from abuse. The Truth about Pet Stores “The sad truth behind the pet industry is that these animals are often bought from puppy mills or other massive backyard operations that treat animals terribly. During PETA's investigations into these companies, we have seen animals crammed into tiny wire cages, living in filth, and often forced to live outside regardless of rain, snow, or extreme heat. People are much better off visiting a respectable local animal shelter to adopt instead,” says Ryan. Common problems in the pet store industry include selling sick and injured animals to the public, failing to provide proper veterinary care, keeping animals in unsanitary conditions, and using inhumane methods to kill sick and unwanted animals. You can help bring about changes in local pet stores if you know what conditions to look for and what steps to take. Next time you go into a pet store, take a look around and make sure the dogs and cats have clean water, rabbits should have a water bottle, birds should have a properly sized perch, cats should have an elevated surface above their litter area to rest on, there should only be one large dog per cage, and fish tank should not be overcrowded. Also, you can encourage pet stores that sell animals not to do so, and report any sick or injured animal to your local police department. An Important Message from Ryan Huling “We can each do our part to reduce cruelty to animals just by choosing to buy one product over another. Simply by choosing a veggie burger instead of a hamburger, buying a faux-fur jacket instead of fox fur, or purchasing cosmetics not tested on animals we can help save animals every single day! There are various ways to help companion animals, such as volunteering at a local shelter or distributing leaflets about the importance of spaying and neutering animals. Peta2 distributes a wide variety of free leaflets and stickers to teenagers who want to spread the word about stopping cruelty to animals, so send us an e- mail at peta2@peta2.com to get started! I would encourage everybody to visit peta2.com, where you can watch undercover investigation videos about what goes on behind closed doors. They're tough to watch, but I've found that once we know what happens to animals tortured in these industries, we begin to understand why it’s so important to bring cruelty to an end.” Listen Up - So now it’s time that we get involved. If we all take a part in preventing animal cruelty, we could make a difference in the lives of animals everywhere. If they could say it themselves they would, but remember – we are their voice, we are their only hope. |
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