- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States' largest animal rights group has
launched a campaign to outlaw sexual abuse of animals amid a wealth of
Internet sites aimed at people who practice it.
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- Although there are no hard statistics
about sexual abuse of animals, there are many Web sites that include how-to
guides, graphic pictures, instructions on obtaining animals and on staying
within the law and Internet discussion groups.
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- One Web site for so-called zoophiles
has personal ads, a place where members can share photos and movies, and
its own comic strip, all for $29.95 a month. A large sample of what the
site has to offer is free to anyone with a computer.
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- Another site includes a letter that zoophiles
can use to "come out" to their friends and family.
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- "This is one of those hidden issues,"
said Kim Roberts, manager of the First Strike campaign of the Humane Society
of the United States, which seeks to teach people about the connection
between animal abuse and human violence.
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- "We need to get the issue out there
so people can talk about it without laughing," she said. "We
need to make sure that this is considered a crime in every state. It is
exploiting and the animal is not able to say 'no.'"
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- It is illegal for people to have sex
with animals in 22 states. But in many of the other 28 states so-called
bestiality crimes were included in laws that have been removed from the
books because they also governed homosexuality and other practices, the
Humane Society said.
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- The group is concerned particularly that
the computer images and instructions are readily available to children.
"If you're a child and you are doing a report and you type in 'animal'
and 'picture,' you are going to see all sorts of pornographic images,"
Roberts said.
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- The Humane Society seeks not only to
develop regulations but also to teach police, veterinarians and social
workers about the issue. Children who abuse animals often are abused themselves,
experts say.
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- "Children who have been used sexually
may try to use the animal sexually as well so the animal becomes a source
of sexual gratification," Barbara Boat, an associate professor of
psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati, said. "We're just beginning
to really consider these links."
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- Experts said that women who are abused
by their husbands are sometimes forced to take part in bestiality, an act
the wives say is worse than being abused directly by their mates.
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- "Men who have observed bestiality
in pornographic material will sometimes force their wives to reenact the
activity at home," Frank Ascione, professor of psychology at Utah
State University, said. "If we can have one more tool to bring this
to the attention of professionals ... one more tool to prosecute, that's
going to be to our advantage."
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- The Humane Society also seeks to teach
pet owners about the problem and to be careful with their animals. Often
zoophiles volunteer at animal shelters or work at veterinary hospitals
or stables to gain access to captive animals, Roberts said.
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- "We don't want people to be paranoid
but we want people to be careful," Roberts said. "People who
have horses or other animals who are out(side) need to be careful about
securing their animals. They may not even know it's happening."
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- In the states where bestiality is outlawed,
penalties can be severe. An offender in Massachusetts or Rhode Island can
spend up to 20 years in jail, while in Louisiana zoophiles can be sentenced
to up to five years of hard labor.
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