Every 60 seconds, an animal is abused. A staggering 70% of reported animal abuse cases involve dogs. 10,000 bulldogs die from bullfighting, a sport in which a dog attempts to grab the snout of a pinned bull. In the United States alone, 1.13 million animals are used for laboratory testing, from exposure to radiation or drugs, to surgical procedures and even genetic manipulation. Millions of day-old male chicks are killed in a macerator, a machine that breaks solids into small pieces by cutting them up, because they are worthless to the egg industry. These are just a few of the many astonishing statistics about animal abuse. The laws that protect these animals change slowly over time. But how have these laws evolved from what they were at the start? Well, to understand that, we first need to know why we should even care about abuse. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay There are many reasons why people should pay more attention to crimes like animal abuse. For starters, animal violence could be a clear indication that a person is going to commit violent acts in the future. 70% of animal abusers convicted of animal abuse crimes also have a history of other crimes. To find and stop this bloodlust, with the help of mental health services, we could then prevent future violent crimes. The feeling of pleasure caused by cruelty to animals is called zoosadism. This feeling of zoosadism is one of three behaviors that often lead to sociopathic behavior, the others being burning and bedwetting. You should know that these animals do not have a voice. This is one of the main reasons they are targeted. When you first hear the term “animal abuse,” the first thing that comes to most people’s minds is abuse. Although the most common form of animal abuse is considered by people, the most common case of animal abuse is neglect (as shown in the pie chart). Animal abuse does not simply cover violence against animals, but also covers a variety of crimes against animals. This can range from leaving an animal chained in extremely cold weather or chained for an extended period of time, to not providing veterinary services when needed, or simply hoarding animals. But these laws have not been in effect throughout U.S. history. One of the first laws created was to help laboratory animals. Laboratory animals are a category of abuse that generally goes unnoticed in the media. Most people don't think much about animal testing at facilities, but if you put yourself in the perspective of these animals, you may think about it a lot more. Think about the situation they are in, they spend their lives locked in a cage and they have done nothing to deserve it. They are infected with diseases that no organism of their species ever comes into contact with. They must suffer seizures, blindness, surgeries, and other blood-curdling experiences. And after going through all that, they are normally thrown back into their cage. Not to mention that American law does not prevent other cruelties such as burning, starving, poisoning, solitary confinement anddrug exposure. The use of painkillers is not required under current United States law. These animals are physically and even mentally afraid since they even see animals like them being killed before their eyes. They literally have no control over anything that happens in their lives like normal people. The Laboratory Animal Welfare Act was the first anti-cruelty law signed into law on August 24, 1966. It set the minimum standards of care for animals such as dogs, cats, primates, hamsters and guinea pigs. Needs include everything related to housing, food, water, handling, sanitation and veterinary care only within the confines of animal dealers and laboratories. In 1970, the law was renamed "The Animal Welfare Act" and now applies to all warm-blooded animals. This was the beginning of laws intended to protect animals. Although the first laws only applied to laboratories and animal dealers, over time these laws also began to evolve. Ten years after the first Laboratory Animal Welfare Act was signed, the law expanded to include all animal brokers, transporters and handlers. The law states that you must require a veterinary certificate to transport animals on a highway. The law also states that all dogs, regardless of their purpose, must be protected. Finally, the last thing that the new law regulates is that all federal agencies, such as the NIH, the Air Force and the Army, which currently use laboratory animals, must show that they fully comply with the law. 1985 was the year the laws began to affect the meat industry. This is when the ISLAA (Improved Standard for Laboratory Animals Act) was passed into the Food Safety Act. The goal of ISLAA was to reduce animal distress and pain in a laboratory setting. To enforce this, all research institutions must have an institutional animal committee. This committee must include a person not linked to the establishment, to represent the interests of the community, as well as a veterinarian. The committee will inspect the laboratory and report back to the laboratory what needs to be corrected. The laboratory must correct any problem immediately. If they are not corrected, USDA will be informed in a timely manner. If this happens, the laboratory grant will either be suspended or revoked. About 20 years later, in 2008, another change was made to the law. This time in the form of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act. This law includes an amendment to the Animal Protection Act. The amendment provided for an increase in the fine for animal cruelty. Before the change, the fine was $2,500 per violation, per animal, per day. The amendment increased the fine from $2,500 to $10,000 per violation, per animal, per day. Only recently, in 2014, did the FBI change its policy regarding these crimes. Previously, the FBI placed animal abuse laws in a section called “other” where lesser crimes were kept. With this, the value of animal abuse crimes has been viewed with less importance. It has also made it more difficult to find and track these crimes. That only changed in early 2014, when it finally got its own category. The animal abuse category includes 4 subcategories; Simple/gross neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organized abuse (such as cockfighting and dog fighting), and sexual abuse of animals. How did animal abuse get its own category? Eh.