cruelty to animals
Harming defenseless creatures
Cruelty to animals is the infliction of suffering or harm on animals through abuse, neglect, or deliberate mistreatment.
The phrase appears most often in legal contexts, where animal cruelty statutes define prohibited conduct: She was charged with cruelty to animals after investigators found starving dogs in her home.
What constitutes cruelty varies by jurisdiction and species—factory farming practices legal for livestock may be criminal if applied to pets.
- killCause death
- neglectFailure to provide care
- puppy millsCommercial mass dog-breeding facilities
- nonviolencePrincipled rejection of force
- speciesismMoral preference by organism type
dogfighting · cockfighting · fur trade · fur farms · lab rats · poaching laws · fish farming · wildlife trafficking · harassment · vegetarianism · blood sport · baiting · public awareness · bullfighting · ASPCA · rodeo · foie gras · humiliation
cruelty to animalskindness to animals
Humane treatment of creatures
humane treatment · animal welfare · animal care · animal protection · animal rescue
cruelty to animalsanimal rights
Moral claims for fauna
animal welfare · animal protection · humane treatment · animal advocacy · animal liberation
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