PETA Calls for Psychiatric Help for Kerala Dog Killers

Horrible incident of dog abuse reveals violent humans, not dogs.

PETA has fired off a letter to Kerala Congress (M) leader KM Mani regarding the reported killing of 10 stray dogs by the youth wing of the Kerala Congress (M).

PETA’s letter urged Mani to initiate strict police action and punishments permitted under the law, expel those who were involved in this killing from the youth wing, and require them to undergo psychiatric counselling and evaluation prior to re-joining.

Acts of cruelty to animals indicate a deep mental disturbance. Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals often don’t just stop there – many of them move on to hurting other animals, children, or other people. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has found that a history of cruelty to animals is one of the traits that regularly appears in the records of serial rapists and murderers. This is the case in India, too: Veerappan was a serial killer and a poacher, and the infamous Noida serial murders of children took place at the home of Moninder Singh Pandher, who was fond of hunting. In a study of battered women, nearly 60 per cent said that they had partners who had harmed or killed their dogs or other animals.

It’s high time for India’s animal-protection laws to act as real deterrents against crime. Right now, the maximum penalty under The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, for beating, abandoning, abusing, or even killing an animal is a meagre Rs 50 fine for convicted first offenders.

Please join us in urging Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen India’s animal-protection laws and ensure that animal abusers receive jail time and significant fines, as well as counselling and a ban on having contact with animals.