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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Arkansas

State 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

May 2019/Texarkana, Arkansas

Texarkana Gazette reported that a 15-year-old girl faces a felony charge of cruelty to animals with intentional torture for allegedly hanging a puppy from a doorknob. Reportedly, the teen shared photos of the violent incident on social media. The puppy apparently survived the alleged attack and was treated by a local veterinarian.

September 2016/Fayetteville, Arkansas

ArkansasOnline.com reported that a group of teenagers had been caught on video smashing beverage cans open on a baby goat’s horns during a party. The goat was reportedly taken in by a rescue group following the incident.

June 2016/Texarkana, Arkansas

TXKToday.com reported that a teen who had reportedly strangled his stepmother’s tabby cat and tortured and killed the family’s two companion rabbits was sentenced to four years in prison.