Animal abusers must be punished ’cos they rarely stop at just that

The blood curdling three-minute video of three hapless pups being burnt alive in Wazir graveyard in Musheerabad has once again raised the demand for more stringent anti-animal cruelty laws in the country.
While activists are demanding severe punishment for the juvenile perpetrators, there are those who wonder if the minors should be dealt with some lenience. May be not, because studies have shown that children who abuse dogs and cats, are likely to grow up to direct violence towards people too, sometimes leading to bigger crimes in adulthood.Dr Praveen Kumar Chintapanti, a city adolescent and child psychiatrist explains, “Cruelty against animals is an indicator of an anti-social disorder. It is called conduct disorder under the age of 16 and anti-social disorders for above 16. They are generally from deprived backgrounds, especially emotionally deprived. In most countries, especially in the west, they are treated by a prison psychiatrist which helps to tone down the degree of criminality. Shrugging off animal cruelty as a marginal crime is like turn your back on a ticking time bomb. Animal abusers should undergo psychological evaluation and counselling to restrain those murderous traits.”
1. Dennis Lynn Rader aka BTK killer (BTK stands for Bind, Torture, Kill) wrote in a chronological account of his childhood that he discovered the pleasure in bondage, brutalising and butchery while testing his methods on animals. He used to kill cats and dogs by hanging them. He later went on a killing spree from 1974. He killed 10 people in Sedgwick County and terrorised an entire generation.
2. Carroll Edward Cole killed 35 women across several states. Although he confessed that he killed those women, and sexually abused some of the corpses because he felt he “killed his mother through them”, he began his killing spree by strangling a puppy to death.
3. Albert DeSalvo aka The Boston Strangler murdered 13 middle-aged and elderly women from respectable backgrounds in the Boston area by strangulation, between 1962 and 1964. The ‘Boston Strangler’ phenomenon went on to create a widespread panic. Albert DeSalvo began to show his murderous traits in childhood. He would trap and brutalise cats and dogs and shot them with arrows in their crates.
4. Postman Patrick Sherrill, who was about to be fired from his job, turned a post office into a scene of carnage as he gunned down 20 co-workers, killing 14 of them, before committing suicide. He started showing this murderous trait during his boyhood when he used to abuse, mutilate and kill animals, including his own dog.
5. Jeffrey Dahmer aka Milwaukee Cannibal, the infamous serial killer and sex offender was sent to prison in 1992 for raping, murdering, dismembering and cannibalising 17 men and boys in a Milwaukee killing spree between 1978 and 1991. The world recognises Steven Hicks as his first victim but in fact, frogs, cats and dogs were the first victims he tortured and killed.
6. Edmund Kemper aka the Co-ed Butcher killed cats in his neighbourhood and displayed their heads on poles. He even chopped his own cat into pieces. He went on to kill his grandparents to “see what it felt like” at the age of 15. Later, he abducted and killed six young hitchhikers, engaged in sexual activity with the corpses and dismembered them before disposing the bodies. He killed his mother and her friend before turning himself in.
Animal activists in Hyderabad, who plan to meet and hold a dharna at Tunk Bund today, to demand harsher punishment for animal cruelty, say that this just the first step towards their collective goal. Minakshi Shekar, one of the animal lovers who will gather to rally for stricter laws, adds that while the swift action against the perpetrators is a positive sign, but there is a need for more. “The fact that the accused have been sent to a 14-day remand itself is a big step. Now, we are waiting for action in the dog shooting case. The accused is still absconding,” she says. animal activists demand: 1Stronger laws: Revisit the archaic animal laws that only imposes a meagre `50 fine. “We want harsher punishments and more stringent laws for the accused in such cases as such people can go on to commit bigger crimes. Until people are scared of the law they will continue doing these things for ‘fun’,” says Minakshi. 2 Sensitise children: Demand for inclusion of animal welfare and awareness in school curriculums as awareness and education seems to be the main reason for insensitivity towards animals. 3 Educate cops: Law enforcement agencies must take up animal cruelty cases seriously like they have done in the Chennai case and the Hyderabad pup burning case. “Not all police stations take it seriously when a complaint is made. We want cops to be aware of animal welfare laws,” says the activist.
Activists call for social and parental responsibility
It has been proved that most of these animal offenders turn to human cruelty as they grow older. The degree of cruelty shown by these kids is appaling! Parents must take responsibility to teach compassion to their children. Also, The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,1960 is now outdated. Many amendments have been suggested but there has been no progress over the last five years. Our parliamentarians don’t seem to care because these poor animals can’t vote. — Vasanthi Vadi
Children need to be educated and counselled by both parents at home and teachers at school. We need stringent animal protection laws too, like the Nirbhaya Act was introduced for women. Just because these voiceless animals can’t vote, will they not be protected? Animal cruelty should be brought under criminal jurisdiction. Apart from stringent punishment, these children need psychological counselling too. Then only these crimes can be curbed. — Priyanka Samyuktha
Besides the perpetrators of the crime, the spectators also should be held equally guilty. Think about it, someone was recording the whole charade instead of stopping it. What’s more? There are people who call up GHMC and complain about dog menace in their colonies, asking them to dislocate the dogs. These voiceless creatures should be considered a social responsibility. Only stringent laws won’t help, we need a complete change in our attitudes and that can only be achieved through education and awareness. — G Chitra
Papri.Paul@timesgroup.com