Define Animal Abuse

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Often humans feel that an animal’s own life is less valuable than a human life; yet who is human to judge that? Every single day in the United States animals are beaten, abandoned, and forced to fight for their own lives. Animals are often found in unsanitary conditions with no source of nutrients or water. These animals have little confidence they will be rescued and given the chance to live to see how great humans can be to them. It is up to us to speak for these creatures that lack a voice (Leigh). Defining animal abuse, or cruelty to animals, is a challenge (Girgen). One of the first and most important steps in protecting animals and creating effective cruelty laws is knowing what animal cruelty actually is. Animal cruelty can be either …show more content…

The first is passive cruelty. Passive cruelty involves acts of omission, meaning the abuse happens as a result of neglect or lack of attention. Although passive cruelty may seem to be a less crucial subject, that is not the case. Passive cruelty can lead to terrible suffering, and ultimately death. A simple example of passive cruelty would be allowing an animal’s collar grow into the skin of a pet. This example is just one of the many miserable forms of passive animal cruelty. Additional examples of passive cruelty are starvation, dehydration, untreated parasite infestations, inadequate shelter in extreme weather conditions, and the failure to receive medical care when needed (Leigh). Because passive cruelty is frequently due to an owner’s lack of attention, many animal control officers will first attempt to approach the owner by educating them on how to properly care for animals before giving them a citation or placing them under …show more content…

Many people have the spotlight on eating animals, whereas animal testing is just as large of a problem. “Although many regulations govern the use of animals in science and medicine, with the specific concern of preventing unnecessary pain and suffering, there is wide variation between countries concerning what is considered permissible. In the United States, federal regulation is provided through the Animal Welfare Act of 1966, which has been amended many times, most recently in 2010, and most universities also have institutional research boards (IRBs) to regulate animal research taking place under their auspices” (Boslaugh). However, many supporters of animal cruelty claim to believe that every form of animal testing is harmful, whereas other supporters of animal cruelty claim that they only wish to ban unnecessary acts of animal cruelty, such as using animals to develop new types of

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