Animal Abuse Research Articles

Profit, Tradition, and African Wildlife: Examining Animal Commodification Through Eco-Bio-Communitarianism

In Southern Africa, there exists a large-scale commodification of fauna, extending to the utilisation of animals in traditional medicine. In South Africa alone, 1,175 documented cases of rhinoceros poaching transpired in a single annum, and analogously, an estimated 100,000 pangolins are smuggled from there to Asia annually. These and myriad other species, whether intact, in part, or processed into medicaments, are vented either in their country of origin for application in traditional medicine or exported illicitly across the globe for similar purposes. In this paper, I posit that this large-scale commodification conflicts with a relational African environmental ethic. To substantiate this claim, I consider two cardinal concepts in African ecological ethics, which will illuminate how animals should be utilised and considered morally. Firstly, the Shona concept of Ukama employs Felix Murove’s exegesis. Secondly, I explore eco-bio- communitarianism, precisely the Nso worldview of Godfrey Tangwa. Upon applying these concepts to the utilisation of fauna in traditional medicine by traditional healers and to the current largescale commercial exploitation of animals in conventional medicine, this thesis concludes that only the profit-driven use opposes an African environmental ethic.

Development of a Vegan-Friendly Destination—The Case of Didim

ABSTRACT Veganism is growing and more people are adhering to their vegan lifestyle while travelling. However, there is a lack of research that investigates vegan tourism in terms of destination development. Hence, this study examines the development of a destination as vegan-friendly under two research questions: (1) what are the aspects of a vegan-friendly destination, and (2) how it is developed. The research examines the specific case of Didim, Turkey, which declared itself vegan-friendly in 2017. Online and on-site interviews are conducted with tourism professionals, local business owners, volunteers from NGOs, and residents. The research sheds light into how the development process of Didim as vegan-friendly occurred. The findings also reveal the aspects of a vegan-friendly destination, including adherence to the vegan philosophy, availability a vegan cuisine, addressed needs of vegan visitors, abolition or reduction of animal exploitation, complementary social interactions and a favourable attitude of the local population.

Forensic investigations of religious rituals involving poultry: a case report

Animal victims of human cruelty are receiving increasing attention from the press and society. Veterinary pathologists and civic authorities have a duty not only to elucidate the cause, method and manner of death but also to address the motivation behind a case. Poultry are commonly used as offering to gods in Santería rituals (ebós). Only a few cases have been reported in scientific journals, in contrast with the number of cases described in the media. Here, a hen and a cockerel (Gallus domesticus) were submitted to the VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre for autopsy, which comprised macroscopic and histological studies and microbiological testing for Chlamydia psittaci, avian orthoavulavirus 1 (Newcastle disease virus), West Nile virus and avian influenza virus. The carcasses were in an active decay stage of decomposition, containing larvae of Lucilia eximia. Both animals had been decapitated and haemorrhages in the cutting region were observed histologically. Post-mortem burns were also observed. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first post-mortem description of lesions in a domestic avian species due to religious rituals. European Union and Spanish forensic practitioners should be aware that these ritual sacrifices occur in some European countries. Moreover, future European and national legislation updates should consider this type of animal abuse.

Biological Weapons Testing at Porton Down

This article focuses on the use of nonhuman animals for biological weapons testing by military scientists at Porton Down Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, 1948–1955. After the end of the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War, the British state and its allies invested in new military technologies which could ensure their superiority in times of conflict. My analysis reveals the partial workings of the Porton Down Laboratory through its historical use of nonhuman animals. I demonstrate that nonhuman animals were simultaneously effaced and made visible during biological warfare experiments. This effacement and visibility was dependent on anthropocentric notions of animal subjection whereby their use in experiments made them “seen” as resources for use, yet paradoxically elicited their nonexistence as subjects. I extend the notion of “strategic ignorance” to develop a novel concept of “strategic effacement” to demonstrate this contradictory relationship which both impacted scientific “objectivity” and contributed to the continued exploitation of animals in the laboratory.

Profiting from cruelty: Digital content creators abuse animals worldwide to incur profit

With the increasing interest of people in profiting from cruelty on the Internet and the failure of platforms such as YouTube in removing contents related to this practice, to recognize who is funding animal suffering is imperative to combat this serious problem for sustainability, conservation, and animal welfare. Here, we investigate how content creators exploit animals to incur profit, by analyzing 411 productions of: A) visible and B) hidden suffering. Categories included A) 1. Hunting-fishing-experiments, 2. Animal crushing, 3. Cruel slaughtering, 4. Animal fights, 5. Cooking/eating animals alive, 6. Staged rescues, and B) 7. Selfies and 8. Wildlife as pets. Across 39 countries, different tools and tactics, from high heels to grenade launchers, were resorted to harm and to expose >96 animal species in nearly 50 h of online animal cruelty content. Monetized by 155 advertisers, 114 videos amassed over US $1,14 million, benefiting 79 channels. ‘Wildlife as pets’ was most profitable and 38 of the identified species are listed in CITES appendices. Model-based insights revealed monetization's link to cruelty categories (especially Category 8, ‘Wildlife as pets’) and creators' gender (i.e., undetermined gender of content creator) parameters. Children were in 61 productions. Removals generated by YouTube correlated with cruelty Category 6 (Staged rescues), proving that the diligence of the platform in taking contents down is paramount for more or less monetization. We propose advertiser-imposed legal standards on social networks to compel content removal and that audience report crimes to police aiming legal penalization of animal cruelty content creators.

Ethical Veganism as Quiet Resistance

Abstract In this article, I will argue that ethical veganism can be understood as a form of quietism, as a quiet retreat from a world burdened by human moral failings and animal suffering. I will also show how this retreat, although quiet in nature, is both a legitimate and valuable form of genuine resistance to animal oppression. Positing ethical veganism as a form of sociopolitical resistance to animal exploitation is not new, but thinking of it as a quietist retreat and a legitimate and valuable form of quiet resistance is a different matter.

Gruesome nursery rhymes in Chinese Mother Goose rhymes

孺子歌图 Ruzi Ge Tu ‘Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes’ is an anthology cumulated, rendered and illustrated by Isaac Taylor Headland (1859-1942) in 1900, which comprises 152 nursery rhymes predominantly prevailing in Beijing during the Qing (1644-1912) dynasty and aims to nurture sympathy for Chinese children and paint portraits of the masses from both ends of the social spectrum. Chinese nursery rhymes are replete with depictions pertaining to familial bonds and adoration, yet they simultaneously abound with fiendish plots and representations in graphic detail as well as political statements alluding to historical events and personages, parallel to their Western counterparts. In Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes, there is a range of nursery rhymes concerning decease, suicide, impoverishment, dilapidation and animal abuse, whereas only a proportion of them entail educational purposes and convey moral values.

Forensic analysis of toxic substances in fatalities with suspected companion animal cruelty

The increasing prevalence of toxic substance-exposure in pets in South Korea endangers the health and safety of numerous companion animals, and has become a cause for concern. Notably, the annual incidence of forensic analysis in pets has increased by more than 150% in South Korea, mainly in populous regions such as Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi. In response to this growing issue, veterinary forensic examinations were conducted on 549 dogs and cats from 2019 to 2022. This study revealed the presence of various toxic substances, including pesticides, insecticides, and drugs such as analgesics, anesthetics, antidepressants, and muscle relaxants, in pets. Among the 38 different toxins identified in pets, coumatetralyl, methomyl, terbufos, and buprofezin were the most frequently detected. In this study, toxic substances for pets were identified based on the “toxic agent list for humans,” developed by the National Forensic Services, because no list of toxic agents for animals currently exists and data regarding potentially toxic substances for dogs and cats is limited. This is one of the limitations of this study, and necessitates the establishment of a toxic agent list for animals. Continued monitoring and research is also recommended to reveal the incidence, causes, and solutions of toxicity in animals.

A tale of two scandals: scale shift and the inefficacy of crisis communication management in Olympic scandals

IntroductionMega sporting events, such as the Olympic Games, provide niche sports with unique opportunities to attract public attention. However, scandals during these events can pose serious threats to these sports. In particular, if a sport scandal enables hostile stakeholders to achieve a scale shift, it becomes almost impossible for a niche sport organization to manage the scandal.MethodsThe article employs a comparative research design that examines the trajectory of two scandals related to the German Olympic team that differ with regard to the occurrence of a scale shift. The first scandal involved a racist slur made by a German official during a cycling event; the second scandal was a case of animal cruelty during the modern pentathlon's equestrian event. Research relies on a mix of qualitative document analyses and quantitative analyses of the German Twitter discourse on both scandals. The analyses focus on the vulnerability to scandals, the potential for contentious politics, the scandal triggering events, the crisis communication, the reception, and the outcomes of both scandals.Results and discussionOur results show the detrimental impact of a scale shift on niche sports. The animal cruelty scandal put the future of the modern pentathlon at the Olympics at risk and triggered far-reaching reforms. The case supports the idea that a scale shift becomes more likely if there exists an effective collective action frame. In contrast, the German sports organizations effectively ended the racist slur scandal by imposing a limited sanction on the offender.

Animal Derogation and Anthropocentric Language. An Ecofeminist Reading of Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer

The theory of ecofeminism is all about drawing comparisons and connections between old as well as new forms of oppressions against women and the environment and it fights against all forms of injustices to make earth a better place to live. Animal liberation theorists not only highlight animal abuse through hunting, caging, butchering, testing, and experimenting but they are of the opinion that animals are abused and derogated through the patriarchal language as well. In this regard, this paper attempts to explore the anthropocentric use of language in Barbara Kingsolver’s “Prodigal Summer” so as to discuss the way the author highlights animal devaluation and depreciation in terms of language. Kingsolver draws readers’ attention towards animal devaluation through various tropes (mostly similes) to highlight animal abuse in her ecofeminist text. The paper will examine the ways in which characters derogate each other through association with different animals and birds and show how the use of language plays a great role in the devaluation and derogation of nonhuman world.

The Role of Veterinarians in Forensic Science: A Review

Forensic science plays an important role in solving lawsuits involving human beings, such as assault, homicide, or poisoning cases. It combines scientific principles and techniques with legal procedures. Regarding past and present animal cruelty issues, many countries have passed stringent legislation to penalize individuals who abuse animals. Such animal cruelty protection acts are practiced in many countries, including Thailand, the United States, and Australia. Therefore, forensic science has been applied in the veterinary field, classified as a branch called veterinary forensic science. This field of study examines abnormalities in unnatural death in animals, collecting evidence from animals according to the chain of custody (crucial for documenting evidence) and the laws related to crimes against animals. This article gathers information by searching international databases (Scopus and Pubmed). The results of the search revealed the role of veterinarians in forensic science, the types of animal abuse that have led to legal actions (such as physical abuse and poisoning), and the laws seeking to prevent animal cruelty, each with its unique set of penalties, as implemented by different countries. The results revealed that veterinarians play a crucial role in animal forensic science by examining abused animals and ensuring the precise collection of samples, which serves as essential support for legal cases. It is important to involve specialized experts in these examinations, as their involvement substantially enhances the reliability of the results. Countries with laws to prevent animal cruelty, such as Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, and Australia, punish animal abusers with varying fines and imprisonment. However, some countries still do not have practical laws to prevent animal cruelty directly, such as China and Iran. In this context, veterinarians should know the animal cruelty prevention laws in their area and educate animal owners to be aware of appropriate animal welfare management and reduce the incidence of animal cruelty.

The Evolution of Zoos as Conservation Institutions: A Summary of the Transition from Menageries to Zoological Gardens and Parallel Improvement of Mammalian Welfare Management

Zoological institutions, which were once exclusively for entertainment, are now leaders of wildlife conservation. This centuries-long transition was punctuated by key milestones that reformed wild animal exploitation into a mission of protection. Modern zoos perform ex situ activities to preserve natural resources, which are enabled by the housing of wild species. Zoo-managed animals facilitate new scientific knowledge, public education, and strategic breeding to maintain genetic diversity. Prioritizing animal welfare management is a key advancement for modern zoos, as it lessens stress and improves quality of life. Environments enriched with sensory stimuli promote naturalistic behaviors and provide opportunities for instinctual activities like foraging and hunting. This increases resiliency by reducing stress and boredom. However, such approaches only benefit welfare when appropriately matched to the animal. Behavioral responses to environmental cues reflect how animals experience their environment, and properly documenting them informs management decisions. Other modern advancements include enclosure designs, research initiatives, public education programs, species-specific staff training, and collaborative population management among zoos. This review chronicles the milestones that shaped the role of modern zoological institutions in species and habitat preservation. It also discusses opportunities for the continued evolution of welfare management practices, which is fundamental information for zoo employees and stakeholders.

Examining Law Enforcement Agencies’ Responses to the Addition of Animal Cruelty to NIBRS

Examining Law Enforcement Agencies’ Responses to the Addition of Animal Cruelty to NIBRS

Addressing Behavior and Policy Around Meat: Associating Factory Farming With Animal Cruelty “Works” Better Than Zoonotic Disease

ABSTRACT Research on shifting attitudes or behaviors surrounding the use of animal products traditionally focuses on animal cruelty. How this approach may differ from exposure on the zoonotic disease transmission risk factory farms pose is unclear. The present study sought to examine how information regarding zoonotic disease may stimulate concern for animals/concern for human health, respectively, and thus predict lower willingness to consume meat, when compared with animal cruelty and a control condition. The extent to which such information could shift support for changing conditions on factory farms was also examined. In a preregistered experiment (n = 454), participants were exposed to an informative paragraph on either (a) zoonotic disease transmission risk from factory farming, (b) animal cruelty on factory farms, or (c) a control paragraph. Those in the animal-cruelty condition were significantly more likely to indicate lower meat consumption willingness and higher support for changing conditions on factory farms, when compared with the two other conditions. Concern for animal health and welfare mediated the relationship between the combined experimental conditions and both dependent variables, when compared with the control condition. Upon examining the moderating role of human supremacy beliefs (HSB), a conditional effect was found across all conditions, with higher HSB predicting higher meat consumption willingness and lower support for changing conditions on factory farms. This study offers evidence for the intervention potential of informative excerpts. These findings also emphasize animal cruelty as a more effective way to mobilize support for behaviors and policies aimed at reducing animal-product consumption.

Plant‐based protein as an alternative to animal proteins: A review of sources, extraction methods and applications

SummaryA major part of protein in human diet comes from the animal‐based foods such as meat and dairy products. The demand on protein‐rich food in global market is progressively escalating due to increasing consumer awareness about constructive role of protein in human well‐being. The changing scenario will ultimately promote the farming of meat and dairy animals to meet the increasing demand. However, the increase in livestock farming will lead to excessive environmental stress as it contributes to greenhouse gases emission, and negatively affecting the biodiversity. With an increase in awareness about environmental pollution, animal cruelty and negative impact of animal‐based food products on health, consumers are shifting towards plant‐based vegan substitutes. Apart from being a good protein source, plant‐based alternatives are also enriched with numerous other bioactive compounds, that is, polyphenols, antioxidants, vitamins and dietary fibres. The protein content of plant‐based sources, that is, cereals (6%–15%), legumes (20%–38%), pseudocereals (11%–23%), nuts (18%–38%) and seeds (9%–30%) is comparatively higher than milk (3%–5%), whereas approximately similar to meat (23%). Therefore, the current review is focused on assessment of major plant‐based protein sources that can be used for the development of protein‐rich food products as well as the animal food alternatives. The study also discusses about plant protein extraction techniques and development of animal‐based meat and dairy analogues using plant protein.

Women’s Property Rights Being a Daughter Under Hindu Law Breaking Patriarchy and Improving Women's Rights

A wise man once observed that a country's treatment of its women might be used to gauge its overall health. This brief statement recognizes India's progress toward gender parity. Notwithstanding the point that women make major contributions to agriculture in numerous nations, they have low financial status because they do not own the property they work on. If women have access to land ownership, their level of economic independence and safety can be increased. The governments of India and other nations have put in place a number of programs to guarantee the protection of women in diverse contexts. It is not necessary to travel back in time to comprehend how estate ownership increases people's potential to enjoy full citizenship because the ancient Romans and Greeks created the right to cast a vote grounded on land ownership (age and gender). Anybody with the help of a basic understanding of European or American history can easily recognize the relationship between the franchise and property rights. In many countries in the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia, men still have exclusive rights to land. Usually, women are seen as the "guardians" of their children, keeping valuables and other things in their custody. Is it a surprise that these are the same nations that consider women to be "minors" under the law, preventing them from signing contracts, opening bank accounts, or getting loans? Every legal dispute has a distinct history, from workplace sexual harassment to domestic animal abuse. For instance, unlike our traditional legislation, which solely protects the property rights of male descendants, the Hindu Undivided Family accords women with the same rights to their father's property. However, on August 11, 2020, our judicial system recognized a daughter's claim to her ancestors' property, granting daughters the same status as well as rights in the home and community and upholding the real meaning of Art. 14 of our Constitution of India. But is there a conclusion? How will this ruling touch the status of girls in Hindu undivided families (HUF) and why is it significant? The study's main objectives are to clarify the court decisions defending the daughter's property rights, point out legal voids, and further develop the concepts of equality and equity.

Eating E.T.: Carnism and Speciesism

This article takes as its point of departure an event in which a plant-based version of the space alien, the Extra-Terrestrial (‘E.T.’), from the science fiction film bearing its name, was barbecued and served as a meal to participants at a conference. The soy dish produced different reactions: some laughed, while others seemed appalled. These different sentiments provide the basis for a broad green cultural criminology analysis of the traditions of meat-eating, tracing its role in human history and in the barbecue. The purpose of this is to explore why humans treat different categories of animals so differently. To understand the reactions the meal produced, the article addresses two contrasting aspects of the human–non-human animal relationship—‘carnism’ and ‘pet-keeping’—and contemplates these in relation to the reactions to eating E.T. The goal is to expand on the study of the human–animal relationship, particularly speciesism—understood as ideology and practice that legitimise and produce animal abuse through the analytical concept categorical discriminatory speciesism.

History of the development of legislation on responsibility for crimes against morality

The article presents the history of the development of criminal law on responsibility for crimes against morality. A comparative analysis of responsibility and punishment in relation to the types of crimes against morality and crimes committed in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, and Ancient India, as well as states of the ancient period, among them: the criminal legislation of the countries of Athens, Rome, in addition, on the basis of codified provisions of the criminal law of medieval states. In addition, one of the historical monuments existing on the territory of our country is the Avesta, and with the spread of Islam that penetrated into the territory of our country, according to Muslim law, the issues of crimes against morality and responsibility were considered. Crimes such as prostitution, cohabitation, debauchery, polygamy, wife cheating, and grave desecration are common types of crimes against morality from ancient times to the present day. In addition, as social relations develop, the types of crimes against morality are also expanding, from which we can distinguish such crimes as the destruction of historical and cultural monuments, the distribution of pornographic products, and animal cruelty.

The Global Animal Advocacy Movement in International Relations: toward an animal-inclusive IR

International Relations (IR) scholarship on Global Social Movements (GSMs) has helped usher in post-realist theories, such as constructivism and critical IR. Despite its innovativeness, extant GSM research is limited because it ignores the relevance of the Global Animal Advocacy Movement (GAAM), which seeks to end animal exploitation. The omission of GAAM is emblematic of IR’s anthropocentric disregard of the relevance of animals in global politics. An emergent literature recognizes the importance of animals in IR, and this paper contributes to the establishment of this animal-inclusive IR by examining the significance of GAAM. First, it demonstrates that GAAM fits the criteria of a GSM; therefore, it is worthy of study in IR. Additionally, this paper argues that IR should recognize that nonhuman animals also participate in GAAM. Both arguments not only demonstrate GAAM’s relevance, but they should also contribute to the development of an animal-inclusive IR. The paper closes by advocating for a methodologically diverse research agenda on GAAM.

The dark side of nature conventions: A call to end anthropogenic wildlife destruction

The world is experiencing an anthropogenic nature crisis, with global warming and catastrophes, for example, wildfires and flooding, causing destruction of living conditions and habitat both for human and nonhuman species. According to WWF’s last living planet index, one million species are risking extinction, leading to a need for a criminology that addresses the multifarious reasons for this situation, which to large degree is lacking. In this article, I apply perspectives from Green Criminology, Environmental Restorative Justice and Species Restorative Justice to argue for the necessity of these to address species loss and animal abuse caused by wildlife trade and hunting. The implementation of two prominent nature conservation conventions, CITES and the Bern convention, are central in the discussion, with Norway as the case, through which it is shown that these fail to provide endangered wildlife with protection.