I'd like some crocodile-skin shoes to go with that fur coat, please.

What sane human would possibly see the pelt of an animal worn across his or her shoulders as a classy sign of status? Unfortunately, this is so. Many see wearing many sumptuous animal furs as both a sign of showing prosperity and some even find it seductive. I wonder if these people would find is so charming and alluring if an animal were to waltz in wearing a coat of human skin, instead. I highly doubt so, and yet this is exactly what they are doing themselves.

It is no secret that fur coats are made from animal skins, but what remains to be one is the knowledge of the horrendous torture the animals undergo. Do these people who wear fur really think the animal painlessly died of natural causes after a long healthy life and a person who sold fur simply scooped it up off the floor after coming across it by accident? If that were true, not many fur coats would be made at the rate that they are.



For one full-length fur coat, forty animals are brutally killed and skinned in an act which should constitute as murder, while fur farmers want customers to believe that these animals were killed humanely and raised on special farms for the purpose, as opposed to brutally dragged from their wild habitats and killed.

Animals are often killed by electrocution via the mouth or anus, poison injections, necks broken by blunt force or gassed to death. They are also regularly caught by a system named ‘fur trapping’. This is when hunters needing the fur to make coats for customers set out pain leghole traps and snares, which the animal then steps into. Animals have been known to bite of their own limbs to get free from these traps, and often break teeth, bones and amputate limbs trying to force themselves free, because of this they are in agony until the hunter finds and kills them, and if these wounds get infected, or other predatory animals smell the blood and come to get them, they die. Gunshot, which is much quicker, would be more humane, but hunters do not like to shoot them as it would damage the fur with blood and tearing.



It is not adequate to say that some animal are more common than others, and so as they are not rare it is not so awful to kill them, as all animals feel pain no matter what the breed. Even more money is exchanged between customer and hunter for the skins of bigger game animals such as lions, zebras and tigers, and unfortunately products such as the tusks and teeth of animals like elephants and leopards are very popular amongst the wealthy and overly opulent.

Animal cruelty at the zoo.

Although nowadays it must be admitted many zoos are now realizing animals need to be kept in accurate representations of their natural habitats and are striving to see that this is completed to standards, it was never always this way, and there are many zoo’s that use outdated methods which are so old it is considered animal cruelty and ignorant.

Animals do not like to be removed from their homes in the wild and placed in a strange enclosure any less than a human would and many animals are abused by the zoos who pledge to care for them, and we must remember that not all zookeepers are animal lovers as they claim to be.

Many zoos do not make an effort to keep mother and child, or indeed families, together after the young are born, they are sold off once they no long draw in the public with their promise of being adorable and ‘a new arrival!.’. It is horrifically common that they are sold to testing facilities and canned hunting ranches, were those who are cruel and rich enough to do so can shoot and kill a wild animal for sport in a fenced in area.

Furthermore, there are still zoo’s open for business which do not seem to comprehend that animals are intelligent creatures which need their minds stimulating. I have taken the time to find a video which accurately portrays more information about zoos and I implore you to take a few minutes of time to watch it.



In 1992 the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection known as BUAV unearthed that the Woburn Wild Animal Park and Longleat Safari Park were providing the company Shamrock GB Limited with primates, which is the UK’s largest supplier of monkeys and small rodents for scientific research. Animals that have not already died prematurely from stress, it has been proven, are sold to the exotic meat industry and to the circuses.

Dog fighting.

This photo above is of a sport.

This photo below is not.



Dog fighting is a cruel spectacle that, much like cock fighting, is a worldwide act of violence many think of as a sport. It can also be known as a blood sport. Some may think that this only happened in heavily dense urban areas where the people who participate and promote the sport are economically disadvantaged, but the truth is anyone from a lawyer to a postman could be a supporter of such a brutal display.


Another fact that dog fighting has in common with cock fighting are the various violent crimes associated with the sport. As aforementioned in my cock fighting statement, illegal gambling is involved, as is drugs, alcohol and weapons, and money laundering. Assault charges often occur between owners of the dogs, or betters that had lost. However, many think it worth it because the profit from the fights and the sale of pups from the bloodlines of notoriously strong fighting dogs can be up to thousands of pounds, dollars, etc. It may also be that the owner revels in the sense of power he or she holds over the animal when they command it to attack, but if the animal loses the dog is often severely brutalized if the owner feels shame.

Many websites are trying to stop this abomination.

Furthermore, if the animal loses it is often discarded, killed, or left untreated from the wounds it gained during the dog fight. If the reputation of the owner is severely damaged due to a bad fight, it may be killed in front of the audience, as many would enjoy the execution just as they enjoy the fight itself. However, this rarely happens if the dog is from a valuable family bloodline, or has a winning history of good past performances. As it is in cock fighting, the prize of the winner is that it gets to fight for its life again.

Unfortunately, there are many types of dog fights, which can be roughly put into three categories which depend on the owners’ background of the dog and location of the fight:
‘Street’ fighters often train their dogs in heavy chains to build stamina, and pit them against other dogs in training fights to help them grow stronger, however it usually ends with the dog getting serious injuries. These dogs are often also a threat to people as well as other dogs as they have grown knowing nothing but the torture of its master. These types of dog fight are often spontaneous and last-minute, with no formality or rules of a professional fight, and because of this they often occur in back alleys and street corners. They are often associated with gang activities, betting, drugs and ‘bragging rights’ are often the payoff, with the light to the fuse of the situation being something as simple as an insult, or turf invasion. There is no care for the animals injured in the fight and often the RSPCA and other animal control officers find dead or dying animals after such a spectacle has taken place.

Hobbyist’ fighters are more organized than ‘street’ fighters, and often take more care in the breeding and health of their dogs also. These dogs are forced to participate along with several others in a select few organized fights a year, often to entertain or to gain extra income.
Professional’ dog fighters earn money from breeding, selling and fighting from the wide range of forty or so more dogs they have. They fight at specific locations and promote winning bloodlines of their pets, and also use it as an opportunity to sell dogs to ‘street’ fighters which are too aggressive for the ‘professional’ dog own ers to handle. Losing and otherwise unsuccessful dogs are killed using methods such as shooting and blunt force trauma, which is getting mutilated by a heavy object, most often to the skull.


Whichever the type, dog fights are cruel and barbaric and should not be named sports, as it certainly diminishes the noble title of sport itself.

Not under my roof!

As it is with hoarding animals, this form of abuse occurs at the home, and because of this it is mainly only family members and close friends who visit who notice it. The animal is rarely also abused outside unless the owner is sure of his position within the society and that it will go undetected. The person who sees one or more of the below facts often dismisses the notion of animal cruelty and sums it up to the owner merely having one bad day, if you find this situation I urge you to delve deeper.



There are many reasons that an owner may choose to abuse his or her pet, and the most common aspect they have is control. A pet can be used to demonstrate power and control over the family, and to enforce submission in a specific victim. As well as maintaining an environment of fear which can isolate the victims and punish them, it can be used to prevent the victim from leaving or to intimidate them to return.

There are many signs of animal cruelty, but don’t think this a lucky thing, many are subtle and difficult to spot, and those spotted are sometimes put down to another excuse. Some of the physical signs are untreated skin conditions that leave scaly, hairless skin with bumps and rashes, fur infested with fleas, ticks and other parasites, and heavy discharge from the eyes and nose.

The animal may appear to be confused or lethargic, and extreme thinness with protruding bones, matted dirty fur, and overgrown nails are also all signs. It may walk with a limb or be unable to stand up, with a collar that has embedded itself or caused a neck wound. Sometimes, it can even be a case of wounds being left unchecked and having a maggot infestation, or multiple healing scars from the last beating.

If you cannot get close to the animal, try to see what form of living quarters they are provided with; remember the abuse comes in many covert forms. Is the pet kept outside in horrible weather without shelter, if shelter is provided is food and water supplied, is that food and water sanitary?

Are the animals living areas decimated with faeces, garbage or something as harmful as broken glass? Are the living quarters themselves too small and crowded so that there is no room to move for exercise?

Just remember, it isn’t always as simple as physically seeing an owner beat his or her animal, more often the signs are something you have to look out for purposely. More information can be found here.

Rooster fighting.

There are many forms of sports where animals are pitted against each other in a violent display of strength to determine which animal is the winner. Ironically, the winning animal has the prize of competing again; the loser is often killed to sate the audience. Because, yes, as incredulous as it may seem these barbaric events do attract a sadistic audience.

Cock fighting is one of the most popular forms of animal violence for the purpose of sport; the fowl used are specifically bred for aggressiveness and are often starved and provoked by torture so that they are feeling irritated. The birds go through months of training, feeding, steroids and vitamins to become murderous fighters for the entertainment of watchers, and also practice fights with other roosters are common. Without aesthetic, the hanging wattle combs below the beak of the bird are cut off so that they cannot be torn in the fight, and the feathers are plucked, and another preparation is that sharp artificial spurs capable of puncturing eyes and lungs are attached to the ankles.



Although in the wild roosters fight for territory the scuffles are usually brief and rarely end in death, however in these organized fights death is always the outcome and fights go on as long as they must.

Cockfighting is connected to a wide range of other crimes, such as gangs, gambling, drugs and violence. In the audience, illegal weapons are often handled casually and large amounts of cash present due to the high gambling means that any means of protection is deemed necessary.



Unfortunately, cockfighting is also seen as part of a culture, in countries such as France, Mexico, Spain and Italy, and because of this it is still very popular.

It may be of worth to note that the video below shows a child handling the bird that later fights.

How many is too much?

The hoarding of animals is one of the most complicated forms of animal cruelty, and very difficult to spot. It is also known as animal collecting. Failure to see this form of cruelty can result in starvation, illness and death. Should you be ringing the RSPCA because you suspect your neighbour of having an indecent amount of cats?

People who are suspected of hoarding animals always have more than a normal number of animals, and cannot provide any animal with nutrition, shelter, veterinary care and sanitation. The animals will suffer from fleas and vermin, as well as being thin from starvation which will make them lethargic. The home itself will be dirty, possibly with things broken and clutter on every surface, in an obvious state of decay, with toilets and cooking appliances not working. There will definitely be a strong smell of urine, and stains of vomit and faeces, the owner will not see this.



There are many reasons why people hoard animals, and we must not think of these owners as bad people. Sometimes it can be a simple obsessive-compulsive disorder, but paranoid, delusional thinking and attachment disorders stemming from mental illnesses have been proven to have an effect. Some genuinely do not see themselves as doing anything wrong and see themselves as heroes as they have rescued the animals and given them a home, no matter how bad that home is. Many are of right-mind and say that any home is better than no home, and it is a rare case where the owner understands the physical and psychological harm they are doing to the animals kept.

Any gender, age, or ethnic group can be an animal hoarder, but those of deteriorating health and social isolation tend to do so more, and they often do not know the exact amount of animals they have. Unfortunately, this is a world-wide affliction. An animal hoarder will bring more animals’ home regardless of the bad condition of the animals he or she already has, and many are picked up as strays on the street rather than from a shelter, as these rescue organizations are often viewed negatively by them. Because of this, the owner is unwilling to show where the animals live, especially to animal rights officials, and is unwilling to put the animals up for adoption in such places.

Hoarders must also be carefully watched, by neighbours and officals, as they often carry on collecting animals even after legal action has been taken.

A small side-note.

Many are not aware of this, but those who abuse animals often move on later to humans, another deeply disturbing facts. For a long time, abuse towards animals has been recognized as an indicator that the abuser may act violently towards humans in later life, instead of just confining the aggression to animals.

“Murderers very often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids” according to Robert K. Ressler, who developed profiles of serial killers for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Animal abuse is a sign of deep mental disorder and the first sign of a violent mind. A history of cruelty to animals is something serial rapists and murderers often have in common regularly.

Below is a map I have made depicting the amount of animal rescue centers in the UK alone, see how there are many more in southend in more populated areas than there are up north nearer to Scotland, where there are more wildnature reserves for the creatures of that area such as deer, badgers and foxes. The small pink markings are agencies such as farms, whereas the larger letter labelled pointers are larger establishments such as the RSPCA animal welfare shelter.