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Animal abuse cases show need for change in law
HeraldTimesOnline.com
Our opinion
Animal abuse cases show need for change in law
October 15, 2008
It’s unusual to feature two front-page stories on the same day about abused and neglected animals.
Tuesday’s stories about the big cats rescued from a Greene County farm and the shocking conditions discovered in last week’s raid of the Sullivan County “puppy mill” call attention to the need for tighter controls over commercial breeding operations.
In the Sullivan County case, the conditions were so deplorable that officials from the Indiana State Police, the Humane Society of the United States, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture all took an interest in investigating the home where more than 200 dogs, cats, horses and other animals were found — many suffering from malnutrition, broken bones and open sores.
Although 67 of the animals were removed from the Sullivan County home, no charges were filed. And apparently there are no inspection requirements if the owner doesn’t sell directly to pet stores. Indiana clearly needs tougher laws to regulate conditions at animal breeding operations — laws that provide higher standards for inspection and enforcement.
In the Greene County case, the big cats were near death when rescued and taken to the Exotic Feline Rescue Center. The owner reportedly had a federal permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to breed and raise wild animals, but it’s obvious that a better inspection and enforcement process is needed.
People who operate animal “mills” often view these creatures as products, not living beings. But even animals being raised for sale deserve to be treated humanely. While there are legitimate enterprises that offer high-quality, well-cared-for animals, these two grim examples indicate the need for much tighter control and regulation. |