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Hurting Animals Often a Sign of Abuse
September 10, 1997
People who are cruel to animals are more likely than others to be cruel to humans, too, says a report out Tuesday from the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS).
The study, released at a two-day seminar in Washington on the link between animal cruelty and human violence, was based on 401 newspaper accounts of animal cruelty between Sept. 1, 1996 and Aug. 31, 1997. It found the majority of abusers, 71%, were men, and those men committed 87% of the cases of abuse. Among abusers of animals, 28% were also charged with domestic violence, 27% with child abuse, 10% with assault and 6% with murder.
Animal advocates "have known for years that sometimes abuse of animals can be a warning sign," says Martha Armstrong of HSUS. "If there's an intentional abuse situation, it's often just the tip of the iceberg of the violence in the home."
She says HSUS is developing a national standard for reporting animal abuse and a database "to get a handle on the extent of this problem and to create intervention programs."
"Violence is violence, regardless of who it's perpetrated on," she says. "A child that tortures an animal may be being tortured by a parent, and that parent may be being tortured by her spouse. Unless there's recognition of this cycle . . . the child that 'only' kills a kitten may grow up to kill or maim humans."
By Anita Manning, USA TODAY
Copyright Reprinted with express written permission.
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Abuse Connection
Abuse Potential
Abuse: Report It!
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