Latest news with #PreventingAnimalCrueltyandTortureAct
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Kindhearted French Mastiff Shot with Pellet Gun by Cruel Neighbor Has People Outraged
In an upsetting bit of news, police in New England have arrested a woman for shooting her neighbor's dog with a pellet gun. The dog is an adorable one-year-old French Mastiff named Zuri. Zuri's mom, Yolanda Todman, was shocked by this whole ordeal. According to a news report, she is at a loss for words upon learning that the authorities arrested her neighbor for shooting poor Zuri. According to this news clip, the shooting took place earlier this month within Yolanda's fenced-in backyard where Zuri was simply minding her own business. Security cameras in Yolanda's backyard recorded the sound of two BB gunshots followed by Zuri's whimpering in pain, followed by the one-year-old Mastiff limping away.A report was made, and the authorities quickly became involved, launching an investigation into this violent incident, which led them to arrest Yolanda's neighbor, a 32-year-old woman named Lynette Ayala. Thankfully, Zuri is on the mend, and her family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the cost of her medical bills. The United States has animal protection laws that can be enforced at every level of government. Although most animal protection laws exist at the state level. There are some animal protection laws at the federal level as well. The primary federal animal protection law is the Animal Welfare Act, which was signed into law in 1966. This law mostly pertains to the transportation and treatment of zoo and laboratory animals. The most recent law is the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, which was signed into law in 2019. It makes many of the most heinous forms of animal cruelty, such as crushing, drowning, burning, impaling, and sexual abuse, and impaling a federal crime. New England states, such as Rhode Island, have their own penalties and animal cruelty laws. They specifically pertain to malicious acts, such as torture, killing, beating, mutilating, overworking, or placing any animal in a situation that could seriously harm it or result in a fatality. These laws also include the failure to provide animals with necessary essentials, such as shelter, food, water, or medical attention. Remember, neglect is also a form of abuse. Individuals found guilty of animal cruelty can be fined up to $1,000 and/or face two years of jail time. However, repeat offenders can face fines of up to $5,000 and up to five years in prison. The state also mandates that people report any suspected cases of animal cruelty to the authorities. While it remains unclear why this senseless act of violence was committed against this poor, defenseless dog, it is, without question, unacceptable. Thankfully, law enforcement was able to catch and arrest Lynette Ayala for committing this cruel crime. Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Yahoo
Bloomington man sentenced to federal prison for funding and distributing monkey torture videos filmed in Indonesia
A 62-year-old Bloomington man has been sentenced to nearly two years in federal prison after admitting to funding videos of monkeys being tortured and killed in Indonesia and then sharing them with others online. Jeffrey Radtke received the 21-month term last week in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Va., where he and co-conspirators were charged under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, which makes it illegal to create or distribute depictions of 'animal crushing,' defined as burning, suffocating, impaling or causing the serious bodily injury of animals. Radtke's sentence includes three years of supervised probation following incarceration. Court documents say that for nearly two years Radtke and others routinely communicated with a co-conspirator in Indonesia through an encrypted online messaging platform to fund and instruct how to carry out videos depicting 'the torture, murder, and sexually sadistic mutilation of animals, specifically, juvenile and adult monkeys.' Between June 2021 and July 2022, Radtke received over 20 electronic payments ranging from $1 to $300 from his co-conspirators to fund the videos. He then sent more than 40 payments ranging from $25 to $295 to the Indonesian co-conspirator to create videos and send them back, a criminal complaint, filed in August, says. Law enforcement raided Radtke's Bloomington home in April 2023. His computer contained more than 2,600 videos and 2,700 images depicting animal torture, including videos of the sodomizing of the monkeys, crushing of the monkeys' genitals, 'and other horrendous actions,' prosecutors said. In September, Radtke waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to create and distribute videos of animal cruelty. Radtke is among about a dozen people prosecuted in the U.S. and U.K. over the past year for their roles in the monkey torture ring, which was exposed by the BBC and investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FBI. Several Indonesian suspects have also been charged. Michael Macartney, of Chesapeake, Va., was a key ringleader in the U.S., prosecutors say. Macartney, a former motorcycle gang member who used the online alias, 'Torture King,' was sentenced to three years and four months in prison on Oct. 1. Kenneth Herrera, a western Wisconsin pharmacist, was previously sentenced to a year in prison. Radtke, who had no prior criminal history, faced between 21 and 27 months in prison at Thursday's sentencing. Although prosecutors previously agreed that Radtke should not be assessed a sentence enhancement for being a leader in the conspiracy, they still sought an upward departure to a three-year prison term, according to court documents. Meanwhile, Radtke's Minneapolis-based attorney, Christa Groshek, asked for a downward departure to one year and one day and that it be served as electronic home confinement. Radtke's 'grotesque behavior' took place over a 'small stretch of time, late in his life,' Groshek wrote in a sentencing memorandum to the judge, adding 'there is almost zero chance he will recidivate.' Through therapy, Groshek said, Radtke has learned that because of 'his self-hate due to childhood trauma, decided to exploit the anonymity he thought he had behind an internet alias to commission the torture of animals which — twisted as it was — was a way for him to see himself in the animals being tortured.' Radtke is remorseful and a 'broken man' who 'knows he is broken,' his attorney said. 'But he is seeking help.' Radtke told the judge in a letter ahead of sentencing that therapy has made him 'realize now the horror of my selfish actions, and the unhealthy and maladaptive way that I used these animals. I rationalized my actions because they were considered pests and were used as test subjects. My excuse was that I was saving myself by destroying them.' Crime & Public Safety | Police arrest apparent leader of 'Zizian' group linked to killing of Border Patrol agent from Minnesota Crime & Public Safety | A Vermont border agent's death, a MN native, was the latest violence linked to the cultlike Zizian group Crime & Public Safety | In a year of sorrow, the women closest to Burnsville's fallen first responders lean on each other Crime & Public Safety | 2 charged after Minnesota residents scammed out of $50,000 Crime & Public Safety | NY police find body of missing man from MN they say was tortured for more than a month
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - How Trump can fight for animals worldwide
During his first term, President Donald Trump signed landmark legislation into law that established a new nationwide standard for animal abuse. The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act designated heinous acts of animal cruelty as federal crimes, punishing offenders with felony charges, fines, and up to seven years in prison. As Trump navigates his second stint in the Oval Office, he has an opportunity to once again put the humane treatment of animals at the center of the national conversation. Opportunities are abundant. First, the White House should direct federal government agencies to halt all unnecessary taxpayer-funded animal testing. The U.S. government is the single largest financier of the practice — with spending amounting to more than $20 billion annually. While not all animal testing is inhumane, too many animals are subjected to painful experiments that are unnecessary. Not only are the animals kept in artificial environments that cause extreme stress and abnormal behaviors, but experts are increasingly acknowledging the unreliability and limitations of the practice. Animals have significant biological differences that make predicting a drug's impact on humans challenging. In fact, less than one in 10 drugs that use animal testing are deemed safe and effective for human use. It is clear from the available science that animal testing should no longer be the default for taxpayer-funded work. Next, the Trump administration should leverage its executive power to improve the lives of farm animals by encouraging more agricultural businesses to seek out independent, science-based humane inspections of their facilities. One carrot the White House could use is to direct federal agencies to acquire humane-certified protein for their food supply chains. After all, the federal government spends billions of dollars a year on animal protein. A second strategy would be to leverage the tax code. Trump's signature tax cuts legislation is set to expire at the end of 2025 — and Republicans are chomping at the bit to pass legislation that would extend the measures. This provides an opening. At the direction of the White House, lawmakers should include a 'humane tax credit' for farmers who follow through with a science-based certification program for animal welfare. Another opportunity on Capitol Hill includes passing legislation that would allow Americans to use tax-advantaged health savings accounts to pay for pet insurance or veterinary care. The idea was proposed in the House of Representatives last year with bipartisan support. Beyond U.S. borders, the Trump administration can leverage its economic might to export the humane treatment of animals internationally. Working to end the global cat and dog meat trade should be first on the agenda. Capturing and slaughtering these animals for human consumption is inhumane and unethical, but the atrocity still infects large parts of the world. In Asia alone, millions of cats and dogs are killed and eaten each year. The annual Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China is a particularly bloodcurdling example. During a 10-day period, thousands of dogs are butchered and eaten, with some reports suggesting animals are tortured and boiled alive. Trump should direct Secretary of State Marco Rubio to stamp out these atrocities as he travels the globe. The White House is already using its leverage to force concessions on trade, immigration and national defense in countries around the world. Bans on cat and dog meat could also become part of negotiations. The Trump administration meaningfully advanced the humane movement in 2019 by increasing sentences for animal abusers. The White House now has an opportunity to build upon that legacy by continuing to pursue an aggressive policy agenda that further improves the welfare of animals, both within our borders and around the world. Robin Ganzert, Ph.D. is the president and CEO of the American Humane Society, the country's first national humane organization. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
13-02-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
How Trump can fight for animals worldwide
During his first term, President Donald Trump signed landmark legislation into law that established a new nationwide standard for animal abuse. The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act designated heinous acts of animal cruelty as federal crimes, punishing offenders with felony charges, fines, and up to seven years in prison. As Trump navigates his second stint in the Oval Office, he has an opportunity to once again put the humane treatment of animals at the center of the national conversation. Opportunities are abundant. First, the White House should direct federal government agencies to halt all unnecessary taxpayer-funded animal testing. The U.S. government is the single largest financier of the practice — with spending amounting to more than $20 billion annually. While not all animal testing is inhumane, too many animals are subjected to painful experiments that are unnecessary. Not only are the animals kept in artificial environments that cause extreme stress and abnormal behaviors, but experts are increasingly acknowledging the unreliability and limitations of the practice. Animals have significant biological differences that make predicting a drug's impact on humans challenging. In fact, less than one in 10 drugs that use animal testing are deemed safe and effective for human use. It is clear from the available science that animal testing should no longer be the default for taxpayer-funded work. Next, the Trump administration should leverage its executive power to improve the lives of farm animals by encouraging more agricultural businesses to seek out independent, science-based humane inspections of their facilities. One carrot the White House could use is to direct federal agencies to acquire humane-certified protein for their food supply chains. After all, the federal government spends billions of dollars a year on animal protein. A second strategy would be to leverage the tax code. Trump's signature tax cuts legislation is set to expire at the end of 2025 — and Republicans are chomping at the bit to pass legislation that would extend the measures. This provides an opening. At the direction of the White House, lawmakers should include a 'humane tax credit' for farmers who follow through with a science-based certification program for animal welfare. Another opportunity on Capitol Hill includes passing legislation that would allow Americans to use tax-advantaged health savings accounts to pay for pet insurance or veterinary care. The idea was proposed in the House of Representatives last year with bipartisan support. Beyond U.S. borders, the Trump administration can leverage its economic might to export the humane treatment of animals internationally. Working to end the global cat and dog meat trade should be first on the agenda. Capturing and slaughtering these animals for human consumption is inhumane and unethical, but the atrocity still infects large parts of the world. In Asia alone, millions of cats and dogs are killed and eaten each year. The annual Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China is a particularly bloodcurdling example. During a 10-day period, thousands of dogs are butchered and eaten, with some reports suggesting animals are tortured and boiled alive. Trump should direct Secretary of State Marco Rubio to stamp out these atrocities as he travels the globe. The White House is already using its leverage to force concessions on trade, immigration and national defense in countries around the world. Bans on cat and dog meat could also become part of negotiations. The Trump administration meaningfully advanced the humane movement in 2019 by increasing sentences for animal abusers. The White House now has an opportunity to build upon that legacy by continuing to pursue an aggressive policy agenda that further improves the welfare of animals, both within our borders and around the world.
