Ritualistic Animal Killing

Abstract

Mutilated, dismembered, or decapitated animal remains are often ascribed to animal sacrifice as part of an “occult” or “satanic” ritual. The terms occult and satanic have no standardized definition, and the perpetrator may not have had a religious motive. Thus, these cases are best classified as ritualistic animal killing. The veterinary pathologist who performs the necropsy must exercise great care since predation, postmortem scavenging, and improper disposal of viscera removed from game animals can be confused with ritualistic animal killing. Animal slaughter and animal sacrifice for religious purposes are protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. Animal cruelty is not legally sanctioned, and the necropsy should focus on documenting evidence of pain and suffering. The veterinary pathologist should classify the manner of death as ritualistic animal killing only after careful review of the crime scene and the circumstances surrounding the animal’s death. The veterinary pathologist should also have some knowledge of legally permissible practices around religious animal slaughter and animal sacrifice and have some insight into the psychological and potential criminal motives for these acts. Meticulous documentation is necessary both for the current death investigation and for the development of a typology that can be used to recognize and prevent ritualistic animal abuse and killing.