Causes of Animal Abuse and Its Impact: a Harsh Reality

Introduction

The causes of animal abuse are multifaceted and distressing, leading to the suffering of various animal species year after year. This issue not only impacts innocent animals but also has negative repercussions on us, human beings. Animal abuse encompasses a range of cruel practices, including forcing animals into fights for entertainment purposes. Blood sports like cockfighting, dogfighting, and bullfighting are sadly common examples of such abuses. Additionally, animal cruelty extends to neglecting and abandoning animals, subjecting them to testing, engaging in industrial farming, intentionally starving them, and resorting to violent acts like beating, hitting, and kicking. Shockingly, children who experience domestic violence are three times more likely to abuse animals, indicating a potential link to future abusive behavior towards people. Moreover, individuals who abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes, highlighting the alarming connections between animal abuse and human violence. A heartbreaking illustration of such cruelty is Rusty Diamond, a dog found chained up in sweltering Arizona heat, allegedly enduring such torment for 10-15 years, his entire life.

Prevalence of Animal Abuse

Rusty Diamond had flies eating his flesh, and he desperately needed a shower. Not ever in his life had anyone played with him, and Rusty had never gotten any medical treatment. His collar was so corroded that is wouldn’t come off, so the founder of the dog had to use a pair of scissors to cut it off. Eventually, after a long bath and medical treatments, he found a loving home and recovered well, but he will never forget the moments he was tortured. According to the RSPCA said animals abuse and cruelty rates have risen by 5% since 2017, an average of 400 abuses per day. RSPCA stated that in 2016, there were about 150,000 abuses that occurred nationwide.

According to Humane Society, most cruelty acts appear in the form of animal neglect, 70.1% involve dogs, 20.9% involve cats, and 24.1% involve other animals, like livestock, in many forms. About 100 million animals die in the U.S. each year due to animal testing. A story showed that a cat named Elliot was found on the streets with an arrow impaled through his torso, barely alive. His owner had used him as an arrow target to practice and abandoned him after he was shot. Luckily, no major organs were damaged and he survived. But Elliot will never forget the fear of being tortured, pain, and being alone. Overall, abusing animals can lead to people developing an abusive relationship and violent practice, and innocent lives die or get injured in this abuse. People are researching why this happens and the effects of this act.

Causes of Animal Abuse

One of the biggest questions asked by people is: why would anyone be so cruel to animals when they are just innocent lives out there? This big question made people dig further into the cause of the problem. One major reason that animals find themselves being abused is that the abuser has psychological problems. An article by Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation states that animal abuse is a sign of psychological distress and often indicates that the individual had already either experienced violence or may be predisposed to committing acts of violence.

According to FBI profilers, psychiatric professionals, law-enforcement officials, and child advocacy organizations, people who hurt animals may eventually direct violence towards humans. Being cruel to animals is considered one of the symptoms that warn the development of a psychopath, and is also included as a criterion for a conducted disorder in children by the American Psychiatric Association. Like many other forms of cruelty and violence, animal cruelty is often committed by a person who feels powerless, unnoticed, rejected, or under the control of others. They torture animals to make people pay attention to them and to feel in control. According to A&E, many serial killers feel a sense of ignorance and rejection from someone they love or care about, and rather than going after them, they start with something weaker, and a good example is something smaller than us, animals. It is usually a matter of power.

Furthermore, an FBI serial killer investigator, Robert K. Ressler, said, “Murderers… very often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids.” They often do this to make clear that they’re the boss, to make themselves noticed. This can start because the person is bullied, or has experienced fighting from other people close to them, like parents. Others see harming animals as a way to get revenge against or to threaten someone who cares about the animal. A person who is being tortured by other people might also start to abuse animals as a way to get the pressure off them and feel “strong” and “powerful.” Undoubtedly, the cause for animal abuse and cruelty is because of a person’s mental disorders and the feeling of being “left out” and unnoticed. Abusing and torturing animals can lead to many negative and unsuspected effects that can impact humans and animals greatly.

Effects of Animal Abuse

Considering the reasons why many innocent animals are being abused, it is also very important to find the effects these animals find themselves in, and how it impacts people. One major effect that impacts animals in animal cruelty acts is that they can develop mental issues and disorders, just like people can, and they suffer from serious injuries or even deaths. According to cuteness.com, animals can develop psychological issues and disorders, which can lead to them being hostile, distrustful, withdraw from people, depressed, acting defeated, reclusive, quiet, not wanting to play and/or interact with humans anymore, and being afraid to explore his or her surroundings or go outside. They will constantly experience fear, isolation, and anxiety. Humans can become one of their worst nightmares and forget how to interact socially. Furthermore, these animals, like dogs, cats, and livestock, suffer from unpleasant conditions and/or torture acts, and can cause permanent damages like blind eyes or lost leg, serious injuries, and even death. It is very cruel to inflict pain on innocent lives. Another critical effect that results from animal abuse is on humans. This includes health issues and increasing crime. A study conducted by the Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals found that people who committed animal torture crimes were 5 times more likely to commit violent crimes against people. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, abusive spouses/parents also abuse animals about 60% to 70% of the time. This leads to an increase in crime. Additionally, factory farming is also a common form of animal cruelty.

Conclusion

Factory farming usually produces less healthy products, including many antibiotics injected into the animals that make the produces non-organic and harmful to human bodies. Animals raised in factory farms still live in horrible conditions with crowded cages, dirty floors that are rarely or never cleaned and unpleasant air conditions. Due to these awful conditions of the farms, animals are likely to be infected with diseases, which we then consume and become infected, along with the antibiotics injected to make the animals grow faster and produce more products, which all damages people who consumed it (eggs, meat, milk, etc.) ​Antibiotics contain a very high level of growth hormones and are unnatural, a person who consumes too much of it can have offsprings go into puberty sooner than they should because of the hormones. ​Without a doubt, the causes and effects of animal abuse are cruelty are brutal and bitter, in every way preventable by people if we all work together.      

Works Cited

1. Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation. 'Understanding Animal Cruelty: Signs, Causes, and Prevention.' Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, www.wildlife-rescue.org/understanding-animal-cruelty-signs-causes-and-prevention.

2. A&E. 'Serial Killers: Profiling the Criminal Mind.' A&E Television Networks, 2021, www.aetv.com/crime-360/serial-killers.

3. Cuteness. 'The Psychological Effects of Animal Cruelty on Pets.' Cuteness, 2021, www.cuteness.com/13709841/the-psychological-effects-of-animal-cruelty-on-pets.

4. Cutler, Karen Dawn. '100 Million Animals Die Each Year From Animal Testing.' HuffPost, 2016, www.huffpost.com/entry/100-million-animals-die-ea_b_9871270.

5. RSPCA. 'Cruelty Statistics.' RSPCA, 2021, www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/ourhistory.

6. Humane Society. 'The Facts About Animal Cruelty.' Humane Society of the United States, 2021, www.humanesociety.org/resources/facts-about-animal-cruelty.

   Keep in mind:
   This is only a sample.

   Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.

   Get custom essay

7. Northeastern University. 'Study Shows Link Between Animal Abuse and Violence Towards People.' Northeastern University, 2017, news.northeastern.edu/2017/02/24/study-shows-link-between-animal-abuse-and-violence-towards-people.