Epidemic:
Kids Hurting Animals

As mental-health and law-enforcement experts well know, cruelty to animals and violence against humans are inextricably linked. Many educators are aware that serial killers and school shooters—including alleged killers Salvador Ramos, Payton Gendron, Nikolas Cruz, and Ethan Crumbley—tend to have a history of cruelty to animals, and Sandy Hook Promise has cruelty to animals on its “10 Critical Warning Signs of Violence” list.

Forty-three percent of perpetrators of schoolyard massacres commit acts of cruelty to animals first. Educators can help prevent future tragedies by including kindness to animals in the curriculum. Amid the current epidemic of youth violence, PETA urges everyone to report every act of cruelty against animals and calls on authorities to take each animal abuse claim seriously—for the sake of the animal victims and to help prevent future harm. Lives may depend on it.

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Manitoba

Provincial Laws

The first step toward protecting students and animals alike in your community is lobbying for their legal right to safety. Contact your local elected officials and demand that humane education be required in all schools. Here’s how.

Reported Animal Abuse Cases

July 2023/Moose Lake, Manitoba

Globalnews.ca reported that a group of around 10 juveniles allegedly abused and killed four puppies and that one of the dead puppies was found hanging from a stop sign. Investigators stated that all the puppies had been significantly injured before they died. Reportedly, only one individual was arrested and charged with killing animals and cruelty to animals causing unnecessary suffering, as the majority of those involved were under 12 years old and couldn’t be charged.

May 2017/Winnipeg, Manitoba

CTVNews.ca reported that two juveniles between the ages of 10 and 12 may have been responsible for stealing a family’s dog from a porch and tossing him into a fire pit. The dog, named Polo, was reportedly severely burned. He was being treated for his injuries and was expected to recover.