Should animal abuse be punishable by prison time?

[DepressedNutella]

You have a case like this where three people publicly gloat and have a laugh on their Facebook about capturing three mice in a pot, and boiling them alive. They're from Australia, and over there it is illegal to do something like that. At the very moment the RSPCA is investigating it, but I just wonder if these vile people will actually be punished. A slap on the wrist just won't do, given their motive and the brutal nature of the act. What punishment do you think these people, and similar incidents, should get? Are penalties for animal torture/abuse too lax?

 

[Willow]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure animal abuse is already punishable by prison time. :|

 

[sunshyne]

It depends on the circumstances of the individual case. Certainly it should be eligible for prison time, but I have a big problem with saying that you should get prison time automatically if you are convicted of animal abuse. You'd end up with people like Eduardo Saborin doing prison time for feeding chicken to a chicken, or equally stupid scenarios.

 

[DrDingo]

Ah yes, social networking. So many people get into trouble for things they would otherwise get away with when they post on sites like this, and often it's a good thing. As for a punishment, I have absolutely no idea. Animal cruelty means different things to different people, so it's why we can't all agree. So many different animals and types of abuse to take into account..

 

[Red Savarin]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure animal abuse is already punishable by prison time. :|

I think it is in the states, but I think it depends on the severity as well. I dunno, I only really get my knowledge about this sort of stuff from Animal Cops: Houston. Keeping animals like foxes and other wildlife on personal property in most areas can get you a hefty fine, but neglecting or abusing the animal(s) gets you some jail time, I think.

 

[Inpw]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure animal abuse is already punishable by prison time. :|

It is where live. But I don't know what the SPCA will do regarding idiotic teenage girls boiling mice. You can earn up to 16 years prison time for shooting a rhino in Africa.

 

[Red Savarin]

You can earn up to 16 years prison time for shooting a rhino in Africa.

Pretty sure those are poaching laws, not cruelty laws.

 

[Willow]

I think it is in the states, but I think it depends on the severity as well. I dunno, I only really get my knowledge about this sort of stuff from Animal Cops: Houston. Keeping animals like foxes and other wildlife on personal property in most areas can get you a hefty fine, but neglecting or abusing the animal(s) gets you some jail time, I think.

You also would have to take into account the severity or if it's accidental or not. Like I highly doubt they'd throw someone in jail because they accidentally let a collar get embedded into an animal's neck or they hit a dog once or twice.

It is where live. But I don't know what the SPCA will do regarding idiotic teenage girls boiling mice. You can earn up to 16 years prison time for shooting a rhino in Africa.

Even though it's an inhumane way to kill them, they probably won't do anything about someone boiling wild mice. Because if that's illegal then using poisons and traps are too.

 

[DepressedNutella]

It is where live. But I don't know what the SPCA will do regarding idiotic teenage girls boiling mice. You can earn up to 16 years prison time for shooting a rhino in Africa.

They aren't teenagers, they're adults. One is in their 30s, a mother.

 

[DepressedNutella]

Even though it's an inhumane way to kill them, they probably won't do anything about someone boiling wild mice.

This guy got a suspended prison sentence for drilling into the eye of a live mouse, and cutting it open. UK animal laws are similar to that of Aus, so there is precedent. Whether the punishment was right (if there is one at all), is up for debate.

 

[Inpw]

Pretty sure those are poaching laws, not cruelty laws.

True, didn't think before posting.

Even though it's an inhumane way to kill them, they probably won't do anything about someone boiling wild mice. Because if that's illegal then using poisons and traps are too.

That's it, they might get a fine or something. But I've read through the comments on FB a bit now. I think they are almost receiving what they deserve.

Edit:

They aren't teenagers, they're adults. One is in their 30s, a mother.

Ugh. I was getting some faith in humanity lately, thank you human kind for fucking up my day.

 

[Kitsune Cross]

No, not at all.

This people needs to die

 

[Red Savarin]

No, not at all.

This people needs to die

It's already pretty evident they're dead on the inside. They should just be locked up and ridiculed by society.

 

[Minako2012]

A group of teens took a dog out of someone's yard swung it around on a rope and slit its throat before hanging it in front of the poor owner's front door and all they got was community service though I heard one of them got put in the hospital after a pretty severe beating...never found who did it though.

 

[Alexxx-Returns]

You've got to wonder about the mental stability of people who would actually do these things.

And a warning or a couple of days' community service isn't going to fix that.

 

[PastryOfApathy]

Depends on the severity and the animal involved.

Neglecting a dog or worse yet physically abusing one can get you jailed or at the very least have it taken away. However if it's something like a few random mice (which are for most people complete and utter pests) the authorities will not give a single shit regardless of how terrible the abuse was.

 

[Alexxx-Returns]

Depends on the severity and the animal involved.

Neglecting a dog or worse yet physically abusing one can get you jailed or at the very least have it taken away. However if it's something like a few random mice (which are for most people complete and utter pests) the authorities will not give a single shit regardless of how terrible the abuse was.

Neglect is a sad thing to happen to a pet, because often the owner might genuinely mean well.

But if it's actual abuse, even if it's something as small and insignificant as a mouse, someone must be sick in the head to do that to a living animal.

 

[Kit H. Ruppell]

Of course it should. Why are you even asking this?
But then, it doesn't help too much in the long run to simply react to abuse that has already occurred. There are many psychological, philosophical and religious factors contributing to animal abuse which must be addressed and dealt with, or little changes.

 

[Zenia]

I highly doubt they'd throw someone in jail because they accidentally let a collar get embedded into an animal's neck...

They should. You can't 'accidentally' let a collar get embedded into a dogs neck. It takes weeks/months of neglect for that to happen. I mean, it isn't very hard to run two fingers between the collar and the animals neck once a week to check. I make sure to check the cats all the time so it doesn't happen to them. I've seen enough cases like that on the Animal Cops shows to be paranoid about it.

 

[Alexxx-Returns]

They should. You can't 'accidentally' let a collar get embedded into a dogs neck. It takes weeks/months of neglect for that to happen. I mean, it isn't very hard to run two fingers between the collar and the animals neck once a week to check. I make sure to check the cats all the time so it doesn't happen to them. I've seen enough cases like that on the Animal Cops shows to be paranoid about it.

I'm always checking my cat's collar like that because she's so darn fluffy the collar always looks like it's squeezing the life out of her. But in reality, it's pretty loose.

But there is always that moment of thinking 'how did I let it get this bad?'

 

[Willow]

They should. You can't 'accidentally' let a collar get embedded into a dogs neck. It takes weeks/months of neglect for that to happen. I mean, it isn't very hard to run two fingers between the collar and the animals neck once a week to check. I make sure to check the cats all the time so it doesn't happen to them. I've seen enough cases like that on the Animal Cops shows to be paranoid about it.

As have I, which is why I said accidentally because some people honestly don't realize collars will eventually do that so they don't bother to check.

 

[Ikrit]

some will argue "it's just a mouse." to these i will argue: It's just a cat. It's just a dog. it's just a human.

 

[RockerFox]

As much as I love animals, and my answer is yes, personally down here in California the prisons are already packed tighter than the anus of the guy who dropped the soap so maybe if we were actually killing the violent, scum-of-the-earth mother f**ckers instead of giving them life sentences we probably have the room to arrest these people.

 

[sunshyne]

As much as I love animals, and my answer is yes, personally down here in California the prisons are already packed tighter than the anus of the guy who dropped the soap so maybe if we were actually killing the violent, scum-of-the-earth mother f**ckers instead of giving them life sentences we probably have the room to arrest these people.

Huuuuuge LOL if you honestly believe that is what's keeping California prisons so packed. Why don't you look up "Three Strikes"?

 

[Red Savarin]

As much as I love animals, and my answer is yes, personally down here in California the prisons are already packed tighter than the anus of the guy who dropped the soap so maybe if we were actually killing the violent, scum-of-the-earth mother f**ckers instead of giving them life sentences we probably have the room to arrest these people.

Move to Texas. Death penalty here and hot young furries in your area!