Animal cruelty can have various causes, including:
1.Ignorance or lack of education: Some people may not understand the needs of animals or the consequences of their actions, leading to unintentional harm or neglect.
2.Psychological factors: Individuals with certain psychological disorders or antisocial tendencies may be more likely to engage in animal cruelty.
3.Environmental factors: Growing up in an environment where animal abuse is normalized or witnessing animal cruelty can contribute to perpetuating such behavior.
4.Cultural and societal norms: Practices such as animal fighting or certain religious or cultural rituals may involve animal cruelty, which is accepted within certain communities.
5.Economic factors: In cases of neglect, some individuals may not have the financial means to provide proper care for their animals.
6.Malicious intent: Some individuals may intentionally harm animals out of cruelty, anger, or a desire to exert power and control.
7.Lack of legal consequences: In some places, lax enforcement of animal cruelty laws or inadequate penalties may fail to deter such behavior.
8.Exploitative industries: Certain industries, such as factory farming, may prioritize profit over animal welfare, leading to practices that can be considered cruel.
What are The Main Types of Animal Cruelty?
While there are generally two broad categories of animal cruelty: physical abuse and neglect, under each of these there are several subtypes that range in severity.
Neglect
Animal neglect is fundamentally a failure to provide for the needs of animals. This could be leaving a dog outside without access to clean water or shelter from the elements, failure to feed a hamster, or not providing for the medical needs of an animal that has been injured and needs veterinary attention. Though neglect is often unintentional or due to financial or other constraints on the part of the neglectful person, it can also be intentional. For example: neglecting to feed a chicken to force molting and thereby get them to produce eggs again within the industry standards once food is once again offered.
Hoarding
Hoarding is a particularly severe form of neglect that involves a person owning a greater number of animals than they can provide adequate care for, leading to some or all of the animals suffering from neglect. Oftentimes, hoarders will market themselves as rescuers, as the hoarder feels that they are rescuing animals from suffering or homelessness. Some have suggested animal hoarding as a particular subset of Diogenes syndrome, a behavioral disorder of the elderly. However, animal hoarding crosses demographics with hoarders spanning age brackets.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse of animals is what we typically picture when we think of animal abuse. This type of abuse involves causing physical trauma to an animal. This could be soring a horse in order to make it perform better for competition, taking part in cockfighting, or otherwise injuring any animal in any way. Unfortunately, many types of physical animal abuse are condoned within certain industries. For example, chickens in the egg industry are often transported in tiny cages that result in an untimely death for some of the birds.
Pain and suffering
Animal cruelty can cause serious physical pain and suffering for the animals that endure it. Aside from the obvious pain that comes from being kicked or otherwise physically harmed, neglect can also be excruciatingly painful.
Public health concerns
Animal abuse also leads to a variety of safety hazards for public health. Because abused animals can be unpredictable behaviorally and may resort to aggression as a coping mechanism, abused animals pose a biting hazard for members of the public. Animals suffering from neglect may harbor parasites or bacteria that can spread to pets and even people if left untreated. The abuse endured by animals on farms can lead to the swift spread of diseases with the possibility of infecting human workers.
Risk of interpersonal violence
Another risk associated with unchecked animal abuse is an increase in interpersonal violence. Research has linked animal abuse to domestic violence, with many abusers using pets as a means of controlling a human victim. Ignoring animal abuse could mean that a human victim is also going unseen.
When we think of animal abuse we tend to have a picture in our mind of what an animal abuser looks like, where they come from, where they live, and how they act. This image that we create for ourselves can actually prove detrimental to animal welfare and can be the reason that many animals are unable to escape their suffering. This is because people who abuse animals can come from any background, live in any neighborhood, look like anyone, and behave in a way that would never suggest that they abuse animals. For this reason it is important not to allow our biases to impact the way we look at and address animal suffering.
How To Stop Animal Cruelty?
Should I report animal cruelty if I suspect it, but do not have proof?
If you sincerely believe that animal cruelty is taking place, and, if it’s safe, have attempted to have a dialogue with the offender to no avail, it may be time to escalate the situation regardless of whether you personally have proof. Speaking with a local animal rescue representative about the situation may enable you to better ascertain whether or not the situation is actually animal abuse and what might be considered proof. In many situations, a report may be enough to start an investigation.
Who should I call to report animal cruelty?
The first step when reporting animal cruelty is to contact a local veterinarian or animal shelter. The employees at these facilities should be able to help you determine the appropriate people to contact about your concerns.
Can I make a report anonymously?
Whether or not a report can be made anonymously will depend upon your location. Whereas some communities may have a mechanism for anonymous reporting others may require a name and contact information.
Should I try to stop someone harming an animal if I am nearby?
If it seems safe to do so, stepping in as an active bystander to stop the suffering of an animal could be lifesaving. This is especially the case when you suspect the responsible human may lack the knowledge or resources to handle the situation on their own.
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Conclusion
One of the most impactful decisions we can make to help combat animal cruelty is to reduce our consumption of meat and other animal products. By far the greatest number of animals suffering in inhumane conditions are those that are being used to produce the foods that we consume. The decision to stop eating meat, dairy, or eggs has never been easier though, thanks to the delicious substitutes and meat alternative products that have recently come onto the market.
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