Animal Abuse Registries

Implementing animal abuser registries could prevent further cruelties to both people and animals.

Several states have legislation pending that would create animal abuser registries similar to child abuser and sex offender registries. An animal abuser registry would list individuals convicted of felony animal abuse or who committed certain violent offenses against animals.

Intentional animal cruelty is of particular concern as it is a sign of psychological distress and often indicates an individual may be predisposed to committing acts of violence toward humans. Since animal abuse is often an early sign of potential human abuse, tracking animal abusers would help protect not only the animals of a community but also the people. Therefore, creating and maintaining a registry of individuals convicted of felony animal cruelty can be an asset in identifying potential criminal behavior.

Many studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty. Additionally, mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider the blatant disregard for life and suffering evidenced by all forms of cruelty to animals to be an unquestionable warning sign. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association identifies cruelty to animals as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders; and the FBI uses reports of animal cruelty in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals.

In addition, such registries could be valuable in tracking people who engage in illegal animal fighting, such as cockfighting and dog fighting; hoarders; and those who run puppy mills.

The following states have legislation pending:

Arizona – SB 1161
Connecticut – HB 5205
New York – S2305A
Hawaii – SB 0528
Oregon – HB 2394
Pennsylvania – HB 0265 and SB 0320
South Carolina – HB 3045
Vermont – S 0009
Virginia – HB 2242

NHES urges the citizens of these states to contact their legislators and encourage them to support a felony animal abuser registry in their state.

Related Posts:
Animal Abuser Registries, June 2012
Animal Abuser Registries, Feb 2012
Animal Abuser Registries, Jan 2011

Protect Jaguars’ Habitat

Jaguars are an elusive, beautiful species of bit cat.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to protect 838,232 acres of critical habitat for endangered jaguars in southern Arizona and New Mexico.

Placing a species on the Endangered Species List is often not enough to ensure their ability to survive. Often their habitat has to be protected as well. Critical habitat is a designation of land that is essential to the survival of the endangered or threatened species. Whenever we can save a species from the brink of extinction and preserve enough of the habitat for them to thrive, we keep a part of our natural world intact for future generations.

Let the Service know that you want to see the jaguars’ habitat protected by commenting on the proposal no later than October 19.

Rowan W. Gould, Acting Director
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240

Frog’s Habitat Is Protected

Working to protect even the smallest animals helps maintain healthy ecosystems.

Thanks to the actions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, more than 10,000 acres of habitat of the Chiricahua leopard frog were protected. The protected habitats are found in Arizona and New Mexico. Chiricahua leopard frogs, known for their snore-like croak, have a bright green back that is spotted with black.

Thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for taking this critical action to protect a threatened species and encourage the service to continue to protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats.

Rowan W. Gould, Acting Director
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Tele. No.: 1-800-344-9453
E-mail: http://www.fws.gov/duspit/contactus.htm

Elephants on the Move

It's great that Connie and Shaba remain together, but the best place for them to be is a wildlife sanctuary.

Paws Up!
To Reid Park Zoo, Tucson, Arizona, for deciding to keep elephants Connie and Shaba together as they moved to a new location.

Paws Down!
To the same zoo for sending them to the San Diego Zoo instead of an elephant sanctuary.

Where the animals are concerned, sometimes a good act turns out to not be a great act. According to a news source, “…after weeks of public outcry, the [Tucson, Arizona] city council decided to keep Connie and Shaba together.” However, that decision, although on the surface a good one, still leaves the two elephants at the mercy of zoo officials in San Diego where they are now residing.

These two elephants have a long history of caring for one another and deserve to be retired to an elephant sanctuary instead of another zoo.

Take Action: Write a letter to the San Diego Zoo asking them first to respect the two elephants by keeping them together and to further respect them by retiring them permanently to an appropriate elephant sanctuary.

Douglas G. Myers, Executive Director
San Diego Zoo Global
c/o the San Diego Zoo
2920 Zoo Drive
San Diego, CA 92101

Source:
KGUN-TV9
Reid Park Zoo

 

Minnows Reclassified as Endangered

Paws Up!

To the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for reclassifying two fish as endangered.

The spikedace and loach minnow have recently been protected under the Endangered Species Act due to climate change.

According to a news story, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service … pointed to prolonged drought, climate change and an increase in nonnative fish for its decision to reclassify as endangered two fish [spikedace and loach minnow] found in New Mexico and Arizona.”

Drought is a major problem in the desert Southwest. According to the article, “The Southwest is definitely going to have to get better at using water than it already is if there’s going to be any hope, not just for these fish, but virtually every native fish,” Greenwald [species director at the Center for Biological Diversity] said. “The population of almost every species that depends on rivers and streams in the Southwest has gone down.”

Species preservation is one of the reasons the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted in 1973. Two federal agencies are responsible for administering and enforcing the ESA: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They share responsibility for species that inhabit both marine and land areas; FWS is further responsible for all marine species; NOAA for freshwater fish.

Take Action: Thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for giving these two fish further protection.

Rowan W. Gould, Acting Director
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240

Source:
Albuquerque Joural Online

Keep Off-Road Traffic Out of Kaibab Plateau

Preserving natural areas of our country for their beauty, scenery, peace, and tranquility is essential to protecting wildlife, some of whom are endangered. Adding off-road vehicles to these natural areas insults both the land and her inhabitants. The U.S. Forest Service is considering plans to allow such vehicles on the Kaibab Plateau. By allowing off-road vehicles access to the Kaibab Plateau, sensitive species, like the northern goshawk, the endangered California condor, and the Kaibab squirrel and their habitats, will be impacted.

Furthermore, there will be costs to taxpayers to maintain these roads and to mitigate against the effects of noise, air, and water pollution. If these areas are maintained in their current state, taxpayers will incur no such additional cost, and tourists will continue to enjoy the natural beauty of the Kaibab Plateau.

Please let the Forest Service know that such vehicles do not belong on the Kaibab Plateau.

Tom Tidwell, Chief
U.S. Forest Service
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250-0003

Timothy Short
North Kaibab District Ranger
PO Box 248
Fredonia, AZ 86022

Animal Abuse Will not Be Tolerated

Paws Up!
To Maricopa County Sheriff’s and County Attorney’s offices for understanding the seriousness of animal abuse!

Diane Lynn Habener was convicted of nine counts of animal cruelty in connection with a pet adoption business in Phoenix, Arizona. She is scheduled to be sentenced April 15.

Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio understands the importance of pursuing animal cruelty cases, “…abusing animals through neglect and mistreatment is a serious offense that will not be tolerated in our community. My office will not hesitate to prosecute these crimes, even if takes many months to bring someone to justice.”

According to a news report, “Deputies seized 114 animals, most of them suffering from malnutrition and dehydration. Several animals were housed in kennels that were too small to allow them to turn around and had feces and urine embedded in their hair. One room contained 14 cats and was littered with feces. Many animals were subsequently treated for a variety of conditions including mange, Giardia, parasitic infections as well as zoonotic diseases, which can be transmitted from animals to humans.”

Take Action: Arizona residents, please write to the County Attorney and the Sheriff of Maricopa County thanking them for their work on this critical animal abuse case. Residents of other states, please contact your local officials whenever there is a case of animal abuse in your community and make sure they understand the severity of such criminal behavior.

Bill Montgomery
Maricopa County Attorney
301 W. Jefferson Street
Phoenix, AZ 85003
602-506-3411

Joe Arpaio, Sheriff
100 West Washington
Suite 1900
Phoenix, AZ 85003
602-876-1801

Source:
ktar.com/