Animal cruelty is one of those crimes it's hard to comprehend. Why would you torture or abuse an animal? The growing awareness of animal cruelty is one of the things that's led to the FBI classifying animal abuse as a Class A Felony, but there's another important reason as well.
Every day or two, we are bombarded with the latest animal abuse scandal, whether it's your average Joe leaving a dog to die in an overheated car, or a more infamous scandal like the Michael Vick dog-fighting ring. And it is a very, very good thing that public awareness of animal abuse in all its forms has grown.
But now there's an even better reason for those less sensitive to animal rights to be interested in the issue. In an article by the Christian Science Monitor, "Studies in the US and other nations have shown that between 63-70 percent of people convicted of violent crimes began their criminal careers with acts of animal cruelty, according the New York Humane Association."
Beginning in 2016, the FBI will be acquiring more data regarding animal cruelty crimes. As Uproxx stated, "this move is going to make it easier for authorities to track incidences of animal cruelty, which will then allow for a greater focus on hotspots where this behavior occurs in an effort to curb crime against human beings."
Considering the high percentage of correlation between animal abuse and other types of violent crime, this is an excellent step in the right direction to bring about change for the benefit of both humans and animals.
So what do you think about this latest development in animal rights and violent crime? Tell us what you think in the comments section below!
