Criminal law policy of countering animal cruelty:a comparative study

The subject of the research is the phenomenon of criminal law protection of animals from abuse. The purpose of the research is to provide likely analysis of the experience of establishing criminal liability for animal abuse in the post-Soviet countries, Western Europe and the United States. The methodological basis of the research consists of comparative legal, formal legal and systematic methods. In the course of the research, the specifics of the construction of criminal law norms providing for liability for animal abuse in foreign countries are determined. The focal points of the criminal law policy of countering animal cruelty in the sphere of criminalization of acts encroaching on public relations in the field of animal welfare are considered. The authors substantiate the possibility of assimilation into the Russian criminal law of a number of provisions of the criminal laws of foreign countries in terms of establishing liability for encroachment on the life of animals in order to ensure effective protection of social relations from negative development in the field of animal treatment.

Primary school education resources on conservation in New Zealand over-emphasise killing of non-native mammals

Guidelines for sustainability linked to the government-approved National Curriculum for education in New Zealand emphasise values of empathy and respect for all life. These instruct educators to discuss different values around sustainability and conservation. I reviewed educational resources published or endorsed by government agencies to determine compliance with these sustainability Guidelines. The resources reviewed promote the view that non-native mammals should be killed. Some resources go further in giving instructions to children on how to do this, and how to source kill traps. Children are provided with material designed to engender dislike towards non-native mammals, particularly possums. Resources conflate issues of conservation by tying it in with protection of tourism, ornamental plants and primary industries. This encouragement of killing in environmental educational resources appears unique to New Zealand. It is discussed in light of increasing evidence that performing or witnessing animal abuse is a causal factor for future violence towards human and non-human animals.

Social approach based on infractions, penalties and fines for animal abuse in Latin America

Our society suffers different types of violence, among which we find the mistreatment of domestic animals, facts that by their nature have remained a long time in impunity for various aspects such as: considering animals as things lacking legal protection, enforcement of pecuniary penalties and light custodial penalties for the perpetrators of the various behaviors that range from abandonment to the death of the animal. The methodology to be used is the bibliographic review in recent and documentary publications with the different legal norms of each country referring to the subject. The method used is descriptive - argumentative, the collection of information starts with the use of databases, Radalyc, Proquest and Scopus. Results obtained are shown in the table of the analysis of infractions, sanctions and penalties in Latin America for animal abuse. With the conclusions it can be shown that, in Latin America animal abuse is one of the greatest problems facing our society, animals must be protected as subjects of rights, respecting their condition of vulnerability. Discussion, to prevent and eradicate animal abuse, not only sanctioning norms are enough, education from home, educational centers and society is important.

Motivated Moral Outrage Among Meat-Eaters

Many meat-eaters experience cognitive dissonance when aware that their eating behaviors contradict their moral values, such as desires to protect the environment or animals from harm. One way in which people morally disengage from their behaviors—and thus avoid dissonance—is to displace responsibility onto others. Aligning with this notion, results of three studies (total N = 1,501) suggest that expressing moral outrage at third-party transgressors reduces dissonance and preserves moral identity among meat-eaters. When participants understood their in-group as responsible for factory farming’s negative impact or read about factory farming’s harms to animals, expressing moral outrage at third-party transgressors reduced guilt and elevated self-rated moral character. Moreover, reflecting on the morally troublesome nature of meat-eating led participants to express more moral outrage at a third-party organization responsible for animal abuse, an effect eliminated by self-affirmation. These findings substantiate moral outrage as a new mechanism to justify meat consumption.