Beginning in 2015 the FBI "will start reporting crimes of animal cruelty as a separate offense
under its uniform reporting system, leading the way for more
comprehensive statistics on animal abuse," S.P. Sullivan reports for NJ Advance Media. "Previously, crimes against animals were recorded under a generic 'all
other offense' category in the Uniform Crime Report, widely considered
the most comprehensive source of crime statistics in the United States."
Animal cruelty will be considered a crime against society and a "Type A" offense, Sullivan writes. It will be tracked in four categories: simple/gross
neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organized abuse (such as dog and
cock fighting) and animal sexual abuse.
The FBI defines animal cruelty as: Intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly taking an action that
mistreats or kills any animal without just cause, such as torturing,
tormenting, mutilating, maiming, poisoning or abandoning. Included are
instances of duty to provide care, e.g., shelter, food, water, care if
sick or injured; transporting or confining an animal in a manner likely
to cause injury or death; causing an animal to fight with another;
inflicting excessive or repeated unnecessary pain or suffering, e.g.,
uses objects to beat or injure an animal. This definition does not
include proper maintenance of animals for show or sport; use of animals
for food, lawful hunting, fishing or trapping. (Read more)
While national statistics are not known, The Humane Society of the United States says that the media reported 1,880 cases in 2007, with 64.5 percent involving dogs and 18 percent cats. In 2013 in Louisiana's East Baton Rouge Parish, which has a population of about 440,000, there were 211 cases of
neglect, 141 of abuse and torture and 29 dog fighting cases reported, Kiran Chawla reports for WAFB 9 in Baton Rouge.
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