Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Hi Jackie:
I found this while looking for some things for Dr. L and thought you
might be interested. Sue
Link found between cruelty to animals, cruelty to
humans
Who would twirl a cat around by its tail? And
why?
That's the question I kept asking myself when
Tabitha Djananpour of Newport Beach called the
other day and told me about the injury that
befell Gilbert, a stray cat she had been caring
for and had named.
No one is certain that Gilbert's tail became
dislocated because someone twirled him around by
it. But it's definitely a possibility. (It's also
definitely a possibility that, if Djananpour
can't find the funds to get the tail surgically
fixed, the poor cat will have to be euthanized.)
But let's assume the cat's fate occurred at the
hands of someone, that he didn't dislocate it
trying to pull it free from some object it had
lodged under. Why would someone do such a thing?
It is, of course, impossible to say for sure, but
it's likely the person who would commit such an
act is unhappy. It's possible he (or she, though
according to statistics, animal abusers are more
likely to be male) comes from an abusive family
and, having been abused by others, has learned to
inflict abuse on those unlikely to retaliate �
helpless animals.
Such people are likely to feel helpless
themselves, as well as powerless, unnoticed and
controlled by others, according to the Humane
Society of the United States.
And they are likely to move from abusing animals
to abusing people.
A lot has been written about the link between
animal abuse and serial killers. In fact, it's
virtually impossible to find a convicted serial
killer who didn't molest animals before he turned
to molesting people.
But is it possible to stop someone who has
decided that it's more fun to set a dog on fire
than to find it a home? (It happened recently in
Los Angeles.) Can you stop a young Jeffrey
Dahmer, busy impaling cats and frogs in his back
yard, and prevent him from becoming someone who
mutilates young men years later?
The Humane Society of the United States thinks
so, which is why it started the First Strike
Campaign, aimed at stopping the first human
strike against an animal � the strike that often
can and does lead to bolder, harsher strikes
against humans.
The campaign hopes to not only educate people
about the animal-human violence link, but also
spur them to action by helping them create
coalitions of community groups that work together
to stop violence in its tracks.
If Gilbert the cat was indeed abused at the hands
of a person, will that person go on to abusing
humans? It is, of course, impossible to say for
sure. But, given the statistics compiled by the
Humane Society and others, it's a distinct
possibility.
If you would like more information about the
First Strike campaign, including tips on working
with others to increase awareness about abuse,
contact the Humane Society at (888) 213-0956 or
2100 L St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20037.
--
Two rules in life:
1. Don't tell people everything you know.
2.
Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
