“Almost without exception, the perpetrators of animal cruelty crimes are the same individuals who carry out aggressive and violent acts including assault, partner and child abuse. Thus, animal cruelty crimes should be treated with the same seriousness as crimes against humans. Moreover, the punishments should reflect their severity”, claims leading psychologist Professor Eleonora Gullone, Associate Professor in Psychology at Monash University, Australia.
The claim is made in Professor Gullone's pioneering new book Animal Cruelty, Antisocial Behaviour, and Aggression: More Than A Link published this month. She argues that animal cruelty behaviours are a form of antisocial behaviour that appear right alongside human aggression and violence. The book maintains that “by enacting adequate animal cruelty laws that properly indicate the seriousness of the animal cruelty crime...