The Universal Effects of Animal Cruelty

Did you know that animals are not the only ones affected by animal cruelty? In fact, both animals and humans alike receive trauma and pain as a result of these atrocities. Many of these perpetrators involved in these harmful acts of abuse tend to not know the effects of their crimes and almost never have a good reason for doing so. Studies show that there are two types of animal cruelty: passive and active. Passive cruelty is not indirect abuse, but it involves neglect of caring for animals, whereas active cruelty is meant to purposely harm the animals and it is often associated with sociopaths. Animal cruelty is evident all around the world and includes: starving and not caring for domestic animals, testing products on animals, being utilized as shark bait, brutalizing and harming animals during film productions, and the notorious cruelty done for generation after generation without any particular reason. There has to be more laws implemented to stop harming animals overall, since the animals themselves are helpless in getting aid. Animals deserve just as much respect and rights to live in this world as humans do. Animals everywhere are just like humans and want to protect their loved ones. Animal cruelty is a worldwide issue that harms all living beings mentally and physically, therefore, in order to create a humane society for all organisms, it should altogether be stopped. First, many people think that hurting animals is harmless to us humans, but they are wrong, because many human serial killers began their first crime as animal cruelty which then graduated into human cruelty. There is a lot of evidence that shows that serial killers and abusers began with animal cruelty. If a human can abuse animals and show psychological issues, then it is possible that they can do the same harm to a human, which would solemnly cause not only harm to the animal society, but to the human society. Stopping animal cruelty and reporting people who do these malicious acts can possibly prevent human massacres as well as animal massacres. In 1997, Boston’s Northeastern University and the MSPCA did a study that found â€Å"70% of all animal abusers have committed at least 1 other crime and that 40% had committed violent crimes against humans† (Internet). This suggests that nearly half of the people that commit animal cruelty crimes also commit human cruelty crimes. Any kind of violence against a human being is inhumane and isn’t allowed, just as animal cruelty shouldn’t be allowed, seeing as many criminals have a tendency to follow up with human cruelty crimes. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebod were two high school students that killed 12 classmates and then committed suicide only after they had â€Å"bragged to friends about mutilating animals. If these acts had been reported to authorities and taken seriously, these two young men might have been put in a proper facility and helped, possibly avoiding the horrific massacre† (Internet). This suggests that the criminals aren’t the only ones who can prevent these kind of animal and human cruelty crimes, but bystanders and those who overhear people doing these such things can take one step forward and report these crimes. Given these type of examples, it should only be more motivation for every state, every country, and every continent to implement anti-animal abuse laws to save lives. Anybody can be helpful in saving many more animal lives as well as human lives, not just the government and the legal system, because animals and humans are always important to somebody. Second, most animal cruelty happens in a household and chances are there are children in these households that either grow up traumatized or influenced to repeat these atrocities. Children are more vulnerable to being corrupted from witnessing animal cruelty because these images stay with them as they grow older and they can possibly reenact these crimes themselves. The criminals either force the children in the household to watch the abuse take place or they abuse the children as well. This can cause trauma in young children, which causes them to grow up corrupted or chances are that â€Å"a child abusing an animal can grow up to be someone who commits other violent crimes† (Internet). This suggests that human children are also affected by animal cruelty as well as the animal victims. These children can be scarred for life, whether it’s mentally or physically. Children aren’t the only ones who have to observe animal cruelty going on, but they are the future of every generation and if they are broken at an early age, then they cannot make it in a stable life. Also, with a constant cycle of children witnessing animal cruelty and then committing to animal cruelty, there will only be more and more people affected by this and then it will be harder and harder to put an end to. Children at a young age will have to learn from somebody, if not their parents, and they â€Å"do not have ine control over their movements and impulses—they will want to treat their pets with love, but will need a little help from you to do it correctly† (Internet). This suggests that the adults and teenagers of the world can control how a child’s development turns out and if we do not perform animal cruelty acts in front of children then they will not be exposed to a harsh world as they grow up. The earlier we instill kindness into nurturing child development, the less they’ll turn out to be convicted of animal cruelty felonies. Third, passive and active cruelties are both common from people who only do it to feel a sense of power and authority, but that in itself is senseless since it still harms many animals and people. In most cases, â€Å"most animal abusers find some sort of fulfillment or power in torturing a victim they know can't fight back, which is why crimes like rape and child molestation are committed. † (Internet). This suggests that the abusers want to feel superior and want to harm their pets or wild animals just to achieve this sort of power. This would be considered an unfair fight when the perpetrator knows that the animal can’t do anything to defend itself and no one would be around to help it. As Jenny Leigh says, â€Å"It is our job to be the voice for creatures who cannot speak up for themselves† (Internet). People like Jenny are affected by the violent crimes done to animals and their disturbance makes them want to find ways to help these poor animals. In other cases, the animal abusers find it amusing to perform sadism on poor animals without considering how that animal feels. One way that one could feel control by hurting an animal is for example, when a husband may hurt the family pet in order to show his wife or kids what he is capable of doing to them whenever he gets angry enough. Another person may use his or her own pet to hurt other animals just to feel a gain of power and control. These kind of people â€Å"suffer from serious, psychological problems that will probably not go away on their own†¦. Without help, the psychological problems these people have can haunt them for their whole lives† (Internet). This evidence suggests that the people who intentionally hurt animals already have some psychological issues that make them the way they are. These people need help from psychologists and people that know that they have a problem with abusing animals should aid them in receiving help to solve their problems. Lastly, most people don’t understand that they actually take part in animal cruelty and these heedless actions cause much passive cruelty, if not any active cruelty. People that are harming the animals don’t even realize the consequences of their actions and they don’t understand that it is actually a really bad thing to do. It is senseless to allow people to carelessly roam around abusing animals without even thinking about it. While active cruelty is more common and disturbing, passive cruelty isn’t any less important. In fact, it can lead to â€Å"terrible pain and suffering, and ultimately death. Examples include starvation, dehydration, untreated parasite infestations, inadequate shelter in extreme weather conditions, and the failure to get medical care† (Internet). This evidence suggests that the owners of domestic animals harm their pets in their own ignorance and neglect. Animal shelters are designed to give unsheltered animals a chance to have a provided home with a caring owner, but with neglectful owners that commit passive cruelty to their pets, it is difficult to tell if the person the shelters give the animal to can be trusted. Whether it’s active or passive cruelty, people need to be fined or arrested for hurting any kind of animals. However, some people actually think that animal cruelty is good because killing animals such as cows and chickens provide food for humans. Some say that humans need animals for food and that it is inevitable for animal cruelty to come to a complete end when there are many people out there in the world who can’t give up eating meat. â€Å"For centuries people killed animals for food and never considered it cruel. It was just a survival† (Internet). This evidence suggests that as long as people feel that they need to eat meat in order to survive, animal cruelty will not be stopped. People see meat as a basic necessity for ensuring their survival when it comes to food, so they won’t think too hard on how guilty they should feel when they learn that animal cruelty is how their food is made. In spite of that, animal cruelty should still end, because everyone could always become vegetarians since it is healthier for our planet and ourselves. The manufacturing and producing of many meats or products derived from dead animals releases many greenhouse gases on our earth and contributes to even more global warming which will eventually harm all humans and animals alike. This â€Å"little† act of animal cruelty to provide food isn’t as big as a necessity when there are plenty of greens around and when many lives won’t be harmed in the making. In conclusion, animal cruelty hurts animals and humans respectively and must be stopped in order to achieve a humane societal world. This research is important because people need to know what happens in this world. People deserve to know the truth about how the world is running itself and rather than being lied to by the government, people can be educated and informed on these worldwide issues which can then motivate them to help stop it. People will realize what animal cruelty does to animals and humans altogether and they can protest to end it or have laws implemented to ban it. Many people are disturbed, traumatized, and angered by the violent animal cruelty acts but they have no kind of power in trying to stop it, so this would be really helpful for those who are in the unknown of this issue. Works Cited Information on Animal Cruelty ASPCA 13 April 2011 http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/info-animal-cruelty Through Their Eyes, The National Animal Abuse Registry 2004, 13 April 2011 http://www.inhumane.org Leigh, Jenny. Animal Cruelty Must Stop 13 April 2011 http://www.teenink.com/hot_topics/environment/article/90968/Animal-Cruelty-Must-Stop/ 11 Facts about Animal Cruelty 13 April 2011 http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-animal-cruelty Animals Used for Food PETA 13 April 2011 http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/default2.aspx Beaulne-Stuebing, Laura. What’s Good about Animal Cruelty? Thrust Labs 17 January 2008, 13 April 2011 http://stayingvegan.com/vegan-university/whats-good-about-animal-cruelty/ Talking to Kids about Animal Cruelty ASPCA 2011, 13 April 2011 http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/talking-to-kids-about-animal.aspx Chicken Cruelty http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00044/id42.htm