Animal Cruelty Laws People States Protection Treated Argue

Animal "cruelty" means treating an animal very badly, "inflicting" (causing) pain and suffering, or "neglecting" (not taking care of) an animal that depends on humans. In the United States, there are many "federal" (national) and state laws that are "intended" (meant) to protect animals and punish "offenders" (people who break the law).

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has an online database that allows people to search for laws against animal cruelty by state. In 2013, the Animal Legal Defense Fund released a "ranking" (listing from best to worst, highest to lowest, etc.) of states by their animal protection laws. The states with the greatest protection were Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, and California, while the states with the weakest protection were Kentucky, Iowa, South Dakota, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

The main federal law regarding animal cruelty is the Animal Welfare Act of 1966, which was "enacted" (made into law) by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It "governs" (deals with) how animals should be treated in "exhibition" (being shown to the public) and "research" (scientific experiments). The law requires exhibitioners and researchers to a have a "license" (official permission) to work with animals. However, many people argue that the law "does not go far enough" (is too limited), because it does not deal with birds, rats, mice, animals used for food, and "cold-blooded animals" (animals that cannot regulate their body temperature, such as fish and lizards).

Some people argue that animals should be treated like people, not animals, "in the eyes of the law" (from a legal perspective). But others argue that this would "take things too far" (make something too extreme), given that animals are regularly used for food, "labor" (work), and materials such as "wool" (the hair on a sheep or llama) and "leather" (the treated skin of an animal) in ways that humans are not.