11 Facts About Animal Cruelty

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1. Puppy mills are large-scale commercial dog breeding
operations that put greater priority on profits than the
health of the puppies. Many dogs are plagued with
illnesses like kidney or heart disease as a result of the
conditions theyre kept in.
2. Thousands of greyhounds die each yearsome in the
name of selective breedingbefore they ever touch
a racetrack. Many dogs do not make it to the nominal
retirement age of 4 or 5.
3. Due to genetic manipulation, 90% of broiler chickens
(chicken bred specifically for meat production) have
trouble walking. Encourage your school cafeteria to go
meatless on Mondays to protest. Sign up for Meatless
Mondays.
4. Dogfighting became prevalent in the US after the Civil
War, with professional pits proliferating in the 1860s.
And was a source of entertainment for police officers
and firemen.
5. Today dogfighting has been reported in urban,
suburban, and rural settings in all regions of the
country.
6. More than 50% the fur in the US comes from China,
where millions of dogs and cats are often bled to death
and skinned alive for their fur. Chinese fur is often
mislabeled, so if you wear any fur, theres no sure way
of knowing whose skin youre in.
7. Its been estimated that there are 900 to 2,000 new
cases every year of animal hoarding in the US, with
250,000 animals falling victim.
8. Over 115 million animals mice, rats, dogs, cats,
rabbits, monkeys, birds, among others are killed in
laboratory experiments worldwide for chemical, drug,
food, and cosmetics testing every year.
9. Every major circus that uses animals has been cited for
violating the minimal standards of care set by the
United States Animal Welfare (AWA).

10.
Most rodeo events rely on creating a stressful
environment for the domesticated and often docile
animals involved. Participants rely on harsh handling
practices (i.e. twisting calves tails or painful electric
shocks) to make animals perform.
11.
The exotic pet trade is a multi-billion dollar industry
in the US and while some wild pets are bred in
captivity, many are taken from their native habitats.
The stress of being violently removed from their homes
causes a number to die prematurely.

Malaysia's worst animal cruelty

scandals of 2013
BY J. KUGAN

Baby Joe the elephant stayed beside his mother, who was brutally slaughtered, for many days before being found
by rescuers.

Animals falling victim to violence, abuse and neglect continue to make

headlines in Malaysia. We look back at six of the 2013s worst animal
scandals.
Although Malaysians would rather forget the horrifying photos and reports of
cruelty against animals that have become commonplace in our social media
feeds, itd be heartless to ignore the reality of whats happening.
From the poisoning of endangered elephants to the inhumane killing of
unwanted strays, the evidence is clear that Malaysians need to step up efforts
to protect the well-being of our animal friends, lest we see more of these
sickening cases of unchecked cruelty.
Warning: Some of the videos and pictures are very upsetting we advise
viewer discretion.

Pygmy elephants poisoned in Sabah

A baby elephant caressing its lifeless mother: That was the heart-tugging
image that caused an international scandal in January when 14 pygmy
elephants 10 females and four males aged between four and 20 years
were found dead in Sabahs Gunung Rare Forest Reserve. When news broke
out that the endangered pachyderms had succumbed to poisoning, allegedly
by workers in oil palm plantations bordering the reserve, it hit home hard.
How much of our natural fauna are we willing to sacrifice for profit? Despite
rewards posted for information on the culprits, its doubtful well ever know
what really happened. Our only consolation is that Baby Joe, who had stayed
beside his mothers carcass for days before being found, is doing well.
The carcass of the poisoned sun bear during the postmortem examination.

Sun bear and stallion poisoned in Malacca

Barely a month after the elephant poisoning in Sabah, a 14-year-old female
Malayan sun bear and Arabian stallion at Malacca Zoo and Night Safari fell
victim to poisoning by an elderly businessman from Johor. CCTV footage from
the Feb 17 incident showed the man in the zoo feeding the animals fruit that
had been laced with toxin.
It couldve been worse: poisoned fruits were also found in the chimpanzee and
orang utan enclosures. What drove the man to poison these beautiful
creatures? Apparently, it was out of resentment due to the fact he had
previously owned a zoo that was shut down. His confiscated animals had been
moved to Malacca Zoo where some later died due to mishandling.
Stray dogs violently killed
In late September, a gruesome video showing dogcatchers dragging and
eventually strangling a stray dog was uploaded by Malaysian Independent
Animal Rescue (MIAR) activist Puspa Rani to her YouTube account. Even
though there had been other videos showing similar acts of council-related
abuse of strays all over the country, this one touched a nerve and went viral,
clocking up to more than 100,000 hits to date.
MIAR claims that the dogcatchers in this instance, hired by the Kajang
Municipal Council (MPKj) disregard all the recommended protocols for the
humane handling of strays. MPKj, on the other hand, denies any wrongdoing,
claiming that MIARs allegations are baseless.
Despite the finger-pointing and denials, the video almost seven minutes of
pure torture speaks for itself.

The photo of the kitten in a jar that caused an uproar on Facebook.

Kitten sealed in a jar by Johor youths

Two Malaysian youths from Johor Baru caused a Facebook uproar in
September when they posted photos of themselves posing with a kitten they
had put inside a sealed jar. The photos caused such serious consternation
among cat lovers that Mark Soh, founder of the Malaysian Crime Awareness
Campaign Facebook page, lodged a report to the Society For The Prevention
Of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA) against the offending duo.
Even after Ai Knowl claimed that the kitten is still alive and apologised for what
he calls a silly joke, netizens were not satisfied. One of them said, "I cannot
accept your 'sorry'. It's a wonder if he doesn't get death threats."
Until now, the duo have not been charged with anything.

Australians upset over mistreatment of goats

The ethical treatment of animals can sometimes be a touchy issue, especially
across national and cultural boundaries. In May, animal rights group Animals
Australia highlighted the issue of how Malaysians mistreat live Australian wild
goats that had been exported to our country with a hidden camera footage.
In the video, a goat is seen being roughly handled, tied up and stuffed into a
sack and put into the boot of a car.
Though Malaysians may find it hard to accept the fact that some of our cultural
practices may be perceived as cruel, perhaps its high time we take another
look at how we really treat animals in our daily lives.

Return of Anson Wong AKA Lizard King

In November, Al Jazeera reported that Anson Wong AKA the Lizard King is
back in business. Notorious for being one of the worlds worst wildlife
traffickers, Wong was last arrested in 2010 at KL International Airport when he
attempted to smuggle 95 boa constrictors to Indonesia.
Although he was sentenced to five years in jail, he was freed in 2012 despite
overwhelming protest from the public.
Wongs licenses for legitimate wildlife trading has since been revoked but the
Al Jazeera video report entitled Return Of The Lizard King claims that he and
his wife have resumed their illicit business from their base in Penang.

Both Wong and the Malaysian authorities have yet to respond to the
allegations made in the video report, but we know that old habits die hard, and
while the Lizard King lives on, the real victims exotic lizards, snakes and
tortoises continue to suffer ignominious ends.

Step 4: Help Prevent Animal Abuse

The key to preventing neglect is education. Many owners just aren't aware of how important affection is to a pet or
even that a puppy can outgrow her collar.
The key to preventing abuse is stronger anti-cruelty laws -- laws that empower effective enforcement and include
harsh penalties. Serious penalties can inhibit cruelty and, with the addition of counseling as a penalty, can stop
the incidents from being repeated by offenders.
You can help prevent these cruel acts by informing others about what to do if they see such an act or by helping
them to better understand how to train and care for their pets.

To do this you can:

Schedule a speaker from your local humane agency to talk at your church or any clubs you belong to.
Do the same for any children's groups, like scout groups, day-care centers, and schools.
Set up a brown-bag lecture series at your office, conducted by a humane agency, on pet care, basic
behavior solutions, and animal welfare issues.
Get pet care and behavior pamphlets from your humane agency to distribute to any of your coworkers or
friends with new pets.
Put together packets of treats and a pet-care book or video to give to friends who've just gotten a new
pet. Include spay/neuter information, tags, and a vaccination record book. Obedience lessons make a great gift
for a new puppy.
Support any initiatives to strengthen your state's anti-cruelty laws.
Write to your paper and TV station whenever animal cruelty stories appear. Tell them you support strong
penalties for these abusers.
Contribute to or volunteer at your local shelter, where they must deal with these appalling situations
regularly.
Now when you see a neglected or abused animal, you can take action. Don't hesitate. Your call could save a life