FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Eileen Connelly
econnelly@catholicincinnati.org.
New Group Seeks Justice for Animals
Cincinnati, OHIO - In Savannah, Ga., two burglars threw a small breed dog
into an oven and baked her alive. In Cincinnati, a teenager is suspected of
repeatedly kicking a kitten shattering both of his rear legs. Incidents of
animal abuse such as these are growing across the United States. In response, a
group of concerned and determined citizens have come together to form
a new group called the Coalition for Animal Justice. Their mission is to be a
voice for companion animals and seek justice on their behalf by working for
harsher punishments for those who abuse them. They also aim to increase public
awareness of the frequency of such crimes and to raise consciousness about the
correlation between animal abuse and violent crimes against people.
The group's founder and president Barbara Woodcox, a Cincinnati Ohio resident, said, I founded the organization because I have been hearing about far too many animal cruelty cases in which the perpetrators receive little more than a slap on the wrist. For example, in Denver a cat was set on fire and thrown from a moving vehicle. The perpetrators of this horrible crime got a mere two days in jail, a $500 fine and 18 months probation. Our goal is make these crimes a federal offense and impose a mandatory prison sentence for these violent offenders." To accomplish this goal, the Coalition for Animal Justice has already established a website, www.animal-justice.org, with animal cruelty statistics, educational information, petitions for change, a sample letter to send to legislators and other resources. Woodcox said the group also plans to focus on educating the public about the prevalence of such crimes and the link to human violence and criminal activity. Serial killers, for instance, almost always start their killing sprees on animals before moving on to people. Studies of violent offenders in prison show that nearly 75% of them had previous records of animal cruelty, according to information developed by Eleanor Shelburne, DVM, of the Portland Veterinary Medical Association's animal welfare committee.
In the Savannah case, two people have been arrested and face several felony counts for burglary. Only one has been charged with animal cruelty to date. If successfully prosecuted for this crime, the maximum sentence he can receive is five years. In Cincinnati, a suspect has been identified and the Hamilton County SPCA is investigating. For the members of the Coalition for Animal Justice, this is progress, but not enough. We need tougher sentences for animal abuse and torture and we need the public's help to make this happen, Woodcox stated.
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