White 1 Summer White Mrs.

Dunbar Senior Project Paper 10/4/13

Animal Abuse

Animal abuse happens every day and is yet typically ignored by the naked human eye. Some would mistake animal abuse for "discipline" when really, these animals are being horribly mistreated in many ways. The effects of animal abuse is very strong and takes many years to heal. Today there are many organizations and individuals that have made it their goal to stop this mistreatment of animals. However, in order to achieve this attainable goal individuals as well as society need first to know how to identify the signs of abuse, and how to treat animals that have been abused by these horrible acts. Black's Law Dictionary defines cruelty to animals as: The infliction of physical pain, suffering, or death upon an animal, when not necessary for purposes of training or discipline or (in the case of death) to procure food or to release the animal from incurable suffering, but done wantonly, for mere sport, for the indulgence of a cruel and vindictive temper, or with reckless indifference to its pain. Many animals, especially dogs, are beaten constantly in order to teach them a lesson even though these methods never work. They only physically damage the animal and often it will behave in wild or skittish ways; such as, being very protective of themselves and barking or hissing at people they dont trust or acting very shy and timid towards people that try to show affection towards them. Some examples of physical abuse are hitting, kicking, throwing, shooting, or even torturing an animal. Another form of abuse is neglect. Some animals are not shown any affection, and many animals that are neglected are malnourished, dirty, often have many ignored medical issues, and are forgotten. Simple things such as

White 2 giving a dog a bath, feeding your cat in the morning, holding a bunny, taking youre bird to the vet, or even saying I love you to an animal are too hard for some people to complete. Both types of abuse are equally as bad as the other, are inexcusable, and often have very negative effects on the animals. Animal testing is also another type of animal abuse. Some people argue that this isnt abuse because in animal research, there are many specialists that care deeply for animals and insure their safety. These people makes sure the research is as pain-free as possible, and that anesthetics are used when necessary. It is against the law to have animals tested in a hazardous environment that is filthy and dangerous {"Animal Research FAQs | Americans for Medical Progress.", pg. 1}. However, more than one hundred million animals are killed each year due to this research; and before they are killed, many of them are forced to inhale toxic fumes, have holes drilled in their heads, have their skin burned off, or even their spinal cords crushed {"Animal Experiments: Overview.", pg. 1}. But then people argue that animal research is necessary because it has made vaccines for polio, mumps, measles, rubella, and small-pox. It's also played a vital role in heart surgery, microsurgery to reattach limbs, and organ transplants. In contrast to that, an article published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that medical treatments developed in animals rarely translated to humans and warned that patients and physicians should remain cautious about extrapolating the finding of prominent animal research to the care of human disease poor replication of even high-quality animal studies should be expected by those who conduct clinical research {"Animal Experiments: Overview.", pg.1}. On top of that, the diseases that are put into animals are never identical to the ones that occur naturally in humans; many animals organs function differently from one another so its nearly impossible to trust that the results of animal research can be applied to humans. People have asked, why dont researchers just use computers instead of testing on animals? Researchers use animals rather than computers for research because computers have limitations. Computers only provide information for things that are already known and are not living organisms to test on and find further information.

White 3 Also, it's the law that all chemical compounds be tested on a living system for safety. Even companies that claim that their products are cruel-free can still send their product to another company for them to test it on animals. Therefore, animals continue to be tested on. Animals have also been unwillingly harmed in the name of entertainment. Even though its not as huge of an issue anymore, animals have been severely abused and even killed on the set of movies. One of the earliest examples of this was in the 1903 short film, Electrocuting an Elephant; in the film, a twenty-eight year old elephant named Topsy is electrocuted to death by an invention invented by Thomas Edison. Topsy was a circus elephant that was poked by prods and burned by lit cigarettes, as a result of that abuse, three people were killed by Topsy. Topsy was viewed as a threat, and therefore was electrocuted to death. The event was filmed, and was watched again and again by thousands of people, who did not know at the time that they were watching animal cruelty on film. Another device that was used in film was the Running W., which was invented by Yakima Canutt. The invention consisted of wires attached to the horses forelegs and were threaded through a ring on the cinch and secured to buried dead weights so that when the horse ran to the end of the wires, their forelegs were yanked out from under them. Due to the numerous deaths and injuries caused from the device, it has been banned. The film Jessie James is remembered as the movie that got the American Humane Association involved in filmmaking. One of the stunts involved Frank James, who was played by Henry Fonda, and his brother Jesse, played by Tyrone Power, escaping a posse by riding their horses off a tall cliff and into a river. The stunt involved dumping an unwilling horse out of a chute and having a stuntman jump after it. The fall was shot twice from different angles and cut into the film in sequence, so it would look like both brothers made the dangerous leap. The horse was killed in only one jump. To this day, the American Humane Society protects animals in film-making {Adams, Sam; pg. 1} Animal abuse in circuses has been more publicly aware of, but not many know how truly horrifying the abuse really is. Animals such as elephants, monkeys, and tigers are trained to balance on

White 4 balls, jump through rings of fire, and do other dangerous acts, and comply to do so because they are afraid of enduring anymore abuse. Elephants are beaten with bullhooks and shocked with electric prods, big cats are dragged by heavy chains around their necks and hit with sticks, bears are whacked and prodded with long poles, and chimpanzees are kicked and hit with riding crops. Carson & Barnes trainers have even been documented using blowtorches on elephants {Circuses, Pg.1}. As previously stated, even though there are animals that are afraid of being abused again and simply do what they are trained to do, other animals snap and go on violent rampages that destroy property and kill many people. Large elephants are more known to do this; in fact since 2000, there have been more than thirty-five instances where elephants have bolted from circuses, run amok through streets, crashed into buildings, attacked members of the public, and killed and injured handlers {Circuses, Pg.1}. Because of this, there are many communities that have banned the use of animals in circuses. There are also animal-free circuses such as Cirque du Soleil, the New Pickle Family Circus, and Cirque loize. In the last 100 animal abuse has greatly decreased due to a raise in awareness, understanding, and several passionate activists. Back before the 19th century, there were no laws against animal abuse in many developed countries and people could go about treating animals however they wanted. A certain individual by the name of Richard Martin, was an early animals rights activist that put all of his power into outlawing animal cruelty. In 1822, he made a bill that became a law stating "it is a crime to wantonly and cruelly beat, abuse, or ill-treat any horse, mare, gelding, mule, ass, ox, cow, heifer, steer, sheep or other cattle that belongs to another person". It was the first law in England to make animal abuse a crime. However, a philosopher named Peter Singer is the most well-known individual that brought the mistreatment of animals into the public eye, and really got people to think about how animals were treated {Bloyd, Sunni; pg.27}. In his book Animal Liberation, written in 1975, he says that even though people may not have the same interest and needs of others, they still have the same rights. This applied to animals as well. He said that, we must allow animals equal consideration and treatment.

White 5 Before that book was released, nobody had really thought of animals that way, and thats where the animals rights evolution began. For example, every year up until 1983, harp seals were clubbed to death for their fur {Finsen, Lawrence and Finsen, Susan; pgs. 109-110}. Animals rights activists would gather around every July and protest against the clubbing until finally, it was stopped. Four years later, in 1987, a student by the name of Jenifer Graham refused to dissect a frog because she believed that animals were not meant to be harmed or eaten. She offered to do an alternative assignment to get her grade, but the school board refused. With the help of the American Humane Society, she sued the school stating that her freedom of religion had been violated; she won the case {Bloyd, Sunni; pg.53}. Many students and organizations continue to fight for ethical treatment of animals today. Some well-known organizations that fight for animals rights are PETA, ASPCA, and many many others that are known local in an individuals town, or world-wide. The most famous organization PETA, is known for being very loud and public in their protesting and although they remain controversial, they have exposed many farms and labs that have abused and killed animals and brought those people to court, and they have inspired many people to go vegetarian and stop wearing wear with their celebrity campaigns. ASPCA, another famous organization, is well known for their commercial with Sarah Mclachlans song In the Arms of an Angel playing, while the camera flashes to different animals that have been abused, some of them missing eyes and even body parts, while the others appear visibly shaken. ASPCA encourages people to donate a small amount of money of month to them in order to supply food and shelter for the animals. The only fault both organizations have is that since they have is that since they feel such pitty for these animals, they never expose why people abuse animals. So everyone continues to wonder why people abuse animals; there are several answers to that question. Animals are very vulnerable to abuse and cant defend themselves from violent acts, so theyre the perfect target for abusers. Many abusers cannot express their anger in a proper way, so they choose to take it out on a household pet. Most abusers were abused as children, and were taught that

White 6 abusing an animal was okay when youre angry, or they were simply influenced to do so and copied an adults behavior. In many cases, an animal abuser will turn his abuse on other loved ones; in fact, it is known that in 88% of households were child abuse occurred, that animal abuse took place as well. In those instances, the animal was abused as a way to keep the child from telling another adult about the abuse taking place. That can lead to another growing issue with animal abuse. Children abusing animals is slowly being brought to the publics attention. Many children are being sentenced to Juvenile Detention Centers for beating, torturing, or even killing animals. Some children simply do it for the fun of it, or to entertain themselves and their friends. More and more adolescents upload videos to social media sites such as Facebook or YouTube, of them and their friends performing horrific acts on animals such as burning cats alive, or shooting dogs. Other children abuse animals to take out their anger, or to retaliate against another person. Younger children learn such violent behaviors from television programs. According to the The American Psychological Association, a child who watches an average of two to four hours of television daily will have seen eight thousand murders and one-hundred thousand other acts of violence by the time he or she leaves elementary school. There are twenty-six and a half violent acts per hour on childrens programming, including cartoons. Children with a lack of supervision or no positive role models have unlimited access to such images, and learn to solve their problems in disturbing, unrealistic ways {Zawistowski, Stephen, Ph.D.; pg.1}. Even though abuse typically happens behind closed doors, there are signs of animal abuse an individual can recognize in order to report the possibility of abuse. Signs of animal abuse are poor body condition and noticeable trauma, malnutrition, no shelter, unclean, seclusion, chained collar, abnormal behavior, too many animals on a property, and outrageous violence towards the animal such as kicking or striking the animal. If someone suspects any animal abuse, then you can do something about it by

White 7 calling 911 and reporting what happened, take the animal(s) to a shelter, document the abuse, or testify against the abuser. There are charges for animal abuse, and the animals will have justice. It is against the law in every state to abuse an animal. Many of the penalties are misdemeanors in almost all states and jail time can be from anywhere to a few months, to 10-12 years. You will be fined thousands of dollars for the crime, and the act of abuse will not be ignored. According to the HSUSs Lockwood, more and more states are making animal abuse a felony, usually after a particularly gruesome, publicized case. The issue is of growing concern, he says. Obviously, (abuse to animals) wont end by just locking up offenders, but it sends the message that this is something society should not condone{ Zawistowski, Stephen, Ph.D.; pg.1}. Moreover as awareness is raised about animal abuse more and more organization and individuals are trying to raise as much money as possible for the treatment of the victims of the abuse. No matter the animal, they all respond the same way to abuse. The animals will develop mistrust, social withdrawal, physical inactivity, and depression. Animals that have been beaten tend to hide in the corner of a room and have agoraphobiathe fear of open spaces. Other animals that have been abused in more extreme ways are scared to play and sometimes they dont even know how to play; they will keep to themselves and remain very quiet. These behaviors can last a lifetime, or petowners can choose to help their animal overcome its abusive past. Now depending on the type of abuse, a pet-owner will have to use different skills to ensure security within the animal. For example, if a pet-owner is dealing with an animal that has been verbally abused, then the owner should talk to their animal in a soft and gentle tone instead of shouting. With an animal that has separation anxiety, the petowner should make sure their pet has toys to play with, food to eat, and plenty of other things to do while theyre gone. Basic needs that an animal needs such as love, attention, and food should be provided for and an animal should not have to beg for them. Other basic skills to help a pet overcome it's abusive past are to make sure the animal knows it's loved, allow it to become accustom to it's new

White 8 home, protect your animal against it's fears, build it's confidence, give clear communication, make sure it has a healthy diet and exercise, and give your pet a safe-space to get away from stress. Pet-owners need to be very patient with their animals, because it typically takes about a year for animals to get better. As said before, animal abuse happens every day and is yet typically ignored by the naked human eye. Some would mistake animal abuse for "discipline" when really, these animals are being horribly mistreated in many ways. The effects of animal abuse is very strong and takes many years to heal. However with the help of many organizations and loving pet-owners, it is possible for an animal to overcome its abuse. Animals want nothing more than to love the person that is taking care of it, and because of that reasoning, its simple enough to say that an individual should be responsible and reasonable enough to do the same. All it takes to be a good pet-owner is to show your animal affection, play with them, bathe them, feed them, and let them be their selves. As a result of this, one more animal does not have to face abuse, and one more happy, healthy animal is here to stay.

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Citations 1. Adams, Sam, Phil Dyess-Nugent, Marcus Gilmer, Will Harris, and Marc Hawthorne. " Yes, animals were harmed: 21 films and TV shows that killed or hurt animals | Film | Inventory | The A.V. Club ." The A.V. Club . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. <http://www.avclub.com/articles/yes-animals-were-harmed-21films-and-tv-shows-that,72051/>. 2."Animal abuse-misdemeanor or felony?." lisaviolet's cathouse...the best little cathouse in cyberspace. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. <http://www.lisaviolet.com/cathouse/cruelty.html>. 3."Animal Experiments: Overview." PETA. PETA, n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. <www.peta.org/issues/animalsused-for-experimentation/animal-experiments-overview.aspxhttp://>. 4."Animal Research FAQs | Americans for Medical Progress." Americans For Medical Progress - Because Research Needs Advocates. AMP, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. <http://www.amprogress.org/AnimalResearchFAQ>. 5. Bloyd, Sunni. Animal Rights. San Diego, California: Lucent Books, c1990. 6. CBS St. Louis. "Why Do People Abuse Animals? CBS St. Louis." CBS St. Louis. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. <http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2013/08/16/why-do-people-abuse-animals/>. 7."Circuses." PETA.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. <http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-inentertainment/circuses.aspx>. 8. Dodman, Nicholas. " How to Care for an Abused Pet - Page 1." Pet Place - Pet Care - Pet Names - Pet Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. <http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-to-care-for-an-abusedpet/page1.aspx>.

White 10 9. Finsen, Lawrence and Finsen, Susan. The Animal Rights Movement in America: From Compassion to Respect. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994. Maxwell Macimillan Canada. 10. "How to Do Animal Rights - Richard Martin." How to Do Animal Rights: free online book legal activism for animals. Roger Panaman, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. <http://www.animalethics.org.uk/i-ch6-4martin.html>. 11. "PETAs History: Compassion in Action." PETA. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.peta.org/about-peta/learn-about-peta/history/>. 12. Pets for Patriots. "11 signs of animal cruelty and how you can help Pets For Patriots Blog." Pets For Patriots Blog Veterans With Pets. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. <http://blog.petsforpatriots.org/11-signs-of-animal-cruelty-and-how-you-can-help/>. 13. Zawistowski, Stephen, Ph.D., ASPCA Senior Vice President, and Operations/Science Advisor. "America's Animal Abuse Problem - Petfinder." Pet adoption: Want a dog or cat? Adopt a pet on Petfinder. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. <http://www.petfinder.com/helping-pets/animalcruelty/americas-animal-abuse-problem/>.