Animal Abuse Incidence: Males

Incidence of Reported Prior Animal Abuse in Groups of Males Only

Identified as Violent AB TOT PER
Ascione, 1998 Abussive spouse 20 28 71%
Simons et al, 2008 Rapists 94 138 68%
Kellert et al 1985 Held in three federal penitentiaries 60 107 56%
Merz-Perez et al 2004 violent offenders 25 45 56%
Carlisle Frank et al 2004 Abussive spouse ? ? 53%
Tingle et al 1986 Psychiatric admissions/rapists 10 21 48%
Burgess et al 1986 sexual homicide 17 36 47%
McIntosh, 2004 Abusive domestic partner 31 66 47%
Ressler 1988 Inmates convicts of sexual homicide 26 56 46%
Verlinden et al 2000 School shooters 5 11 45%
Simons et al, 2008 Child abusers 60 137 44%
Beaseley 2004 serial murderers 3 7 43%
Myers, Burgess & Nelson 1998 adolescent sexual homicide perpetrators 4 14 29%
Tingle et al 1986 Psychiatric admissions/child molesters 12 43 28%
Pagani et al 2007 9-18 year old youths 107 397 27%
Salter et al 2003 Sexual abuse victims who later abused 6 26 23%
Santtila et al, 1997 offenders 6 26 23%
Felthous 1979 Violent psychiatric patients/enlisted 17 74 23%
Beyer et al 2003 Child abduction homicide 5 25 20%
Wright et al, 2003 Serial murderers 75 354 21%
583 1611 36%

Normative/Control AB TOT PER
Kellert et al 1985 Adults 36 50 72%
Baldry 2003 9-17 year old students 344 734 47%
Baldry 2005 9-12 year old students 118 258 46%
Flynn 2002 Undergraduates 27 94 29%
Henry, 2004 Undergraduates 21 77 27%
Flynn 1999 Undergraduates 29 182 16%
Gray 2003 Undergraduates 6 50 12%
Felthous 1979 Non-violent psychiatric patients/enlisted 7 75 9%
Salter et al 2003 Sexual abuse victims 4 80 5%
Felthous 1979 Non-psychiatric patients/enlisted 1 26 4%
593 1626 36%

Identified as Generally Deviant
Henderson 2011 Inmates 103 180 57%
743 2219 33%

Cruelty to Animals: Definitions

"[S]ocially unacceptable behavior that intentionally causes unecessary pain, suffering, or distress to, and/or death of, an animal." (Ascione, 1993)

"[T]reatment of animals that causes gratuitous, unwarranted or unjustifiable suffering or harm (including death)." (Vaughn et al, 2009).

• Vaughn M.G, Fu Q, DeLisi M., Beaver K.M., Perron B.E., Terrell K, Howard M.O. (2009). Correlates of cruelty to animals in the United States: results from the National Epidemiologic survey on alchohol and related conditions. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 43, 1213-1218.

Hunting

Hunting
Clifton P. Flynn found that (2002) "at least for this sample, hunting related to harming animals in the wild and to property damage but not to other forms of animal abuse or violence against humans."  Carlisle-Frank et al (2004) also concluded "hunting appears unrelated to the abuse of a companion animal." (p. 4). 

As a result, hunting--as a culturally condonned activity--is often excluded from the definition of animal cruelty (Tallicet et al, 2005). Although non-"sporting" and illegal acts of hunting such as freeze-killing (night shooting with a shotgun; Green 2002) would not be excluded.

A rich mythology connects veneration of the wild and animals, with hunting and--in some cases--femininity (Singh, 2001).  However hunting is predominantly pursued by males rather than female in a ration of approximately 8 to 1 (Herzog, 2007).  

Hunting, up to the modern day, typically often involves a strong sense of being an integral part of the natural world rather than merely an exploiter of it (Franklin, 2001).

Hunting Bibliography:

• Carlisle-Frank, P., Frank, J.M., Nielsen, L. (2004). Selective battering of the family pet. Anthrozoos 17, 26-41.
• Flynn, C.P. (2002). Hunting and illegal violence against humans and other animals: exploring the relationship. Society and Animals, 10, 137-154.
• Franklin, A. Neo-Darwinian leisures, the body and nature: hunting and angling in modernity. Body and Society, 7, 57-76.
• Green, G.S. (2002). The other criminalities of animal-freeze-killers: support for a generality of deviance. Society and Animals, 10, 5-30.
• Herzog, H.A. (2007). Gender differences in human-animal interactions: a review. Anthrozoos 20, 7-21.
• Singh, K.S. (2001). Gender roles in history: women as hunters. Gender, Technology and Development, 5, 113-124.

Animal Fighting (in progress)

Specific types of animal cruelty are seen as relating to particular types of interpesonal violence, for example the association of dog fighting with street gang activities (Randour, 2007).

• Randour, M.L. (2007). Creating synergy for gang prevention: taking a look at animal fighting and gangs. Proceedings of Persistently Safe Schools: The 2007 National Conference on Safe Schools, pp. 199-209 [full text]