Animal abuse facts and statistics 2024

Key points

• Around 10 million animals die from animal abuse, neglect or cruelty every year in the U.S.
• Cruelty and abuse to animals is correlated to domestic violence and other abuse toward humans.
• Animal cruelty laws vary by state.

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Animal abuse statistics and facts at a glance

Sadly, it’s estimated that approximately one animal faces abuse every minute somewhere in the U.S. Below, you’ll find more disheartening animal abuse facts and statistics. 

• An estimated 10 million animals die from abuse or cruelty every year in the United States.¹
• About 250,000 animals annually are found to be victims of animal hoarding, with most living in unsanitary conditions.²
• Nearly 400,000 dogs that enter shelters across the country are euthanized annually.³
• Around 75% of exotic lizards, snakes, turtles and tortoises taken from the wild die in captivity within their first year of becoming someone’s pet.⁴
• An estimated 10,000 puppy mills exist in the country, with Missouri having the most and the highest number of abusive mills.⁵
• Over 110 million animals are killed in U.S. laboratories each year.⁶
• Roughly 85% of people arrested for animal abuse or cruelty have had multiple past arrests, with 70% having prior felonies.⁷
• Around 70% of people who committed domestic violence were also found to be animal abusers.⁸
• When comparing animal cruelty charges among adults, men outnumber women by 4 to 1 in almost all abuse types.⁹

How many animals are abused each year?

We’ll never know exactly how many animals get abused each year because not all cruelty cases get reported. However, here are some facts that we do know:

• Globally, at least one animal is abused every 60 seconds.³
• Close to 10 million animals die from abuse or cruelty annually in the United States.¹
• Laboratories across the country abuse and kill over 110 million animals each year for experiments, including chemical, cosmetic, food and drug testing.⁶

Lack of food, water and shelter, too tight collar, matting, open sores, mange and signs of starvation are clear signs that an animal is being neglected.

How many animals die from animal abuse?

It’s estimated that 10 million animals die from abuse each year in the United States alone.¹ That includes companion animals, farm animals, wild animals and animal testing victims. This staggering fact means that less than 0.01% of cases of animal abuse are reported annually, making it difficult to get an exact estimation of how many animals die from abuse.³

How many animals die from animal testing?

• Each year, approximately 115 million animals are used for testing purposes worldwide.¹⁴
• Animal species commonly used in experiments include: primates, such as baboons and monkeys; birds, including quail and owls; small mammals, including cats, dogs and rabbits; large mammals, such as cows and horses; rodents, including mice, rats, hamsters and guinea pigs; and fish.¹⁵
• It is a violation of federal law to subject chimpanzees to invasive experiments. This ban has been in effect since 2015, but many lab chimps have yet to be rehomed in sanctuaries.¹⁵
• An estimated 90% of the purpose-bred animals used in laboratories are excluded from official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics, according to Humane Society International.¹⁴
• Lab animals are used for testing by the petrochemical, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries; as well as by public and private institutes of higher learning; hospitals; Veterans Affairs (VA) and government facilities, according to the Humane Society of the United States.¹⁵
• The U.S. public is closely divided when it comes to the use of animals in scientific research. Some 47% favor the practice, while 52% oppose it, according to a 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center.¹⁶ 
• Lab animals are subject to a number of experiments in the name of advancing human health and well-being. Examples include:¹⁵
  • Baboons are injected with endometrial tissue to study how people might be affected by the disorder.
  • Cats have their spinal cords damaged to study how nerve activity might affect limb movement.
  • Dogs have their hearts, lungs or kidneys damaged or removed to study organ function.  
  • Ferrets are infected with diseases such as COVID-19 or Ebola to study how humans might be affected by the same disease.  
  • Horses are infected with hepatitis to study how people might be affected by the same virus.
  • Mice are exposed to chemicals for weeks or months at a time to study their potential links to cancer.
  • Monkeys are isolated from their mothers to study extreme stress.
  • Pigs are implanted with pacemakers and other medical or dental devices to study physiological response.  
  • Rats are exposed to cigarette smoke for hours at a time to study how smoking may affect people over the long term.
  • Sheep are subjected to extreme air pressure changes that simulate deep-sea diving in order to observe their responses.

Animal cruelty laws 

Federal laws exist to protect animals, including:¹⁸

• Animal Welfare Act (1966). This sets baseline standards for the care and treatment of animals in commercial breeding operations, research and testing and exhibition and transport. It has been amended several times, including the Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals Act of 1985.¹⁹
• Endangered Species Act (1973). This landmark legislation outlines protection for threatened or endangered birds, fish, mammals and plants, as well as criminal and civil penalties for violations.²⁰
• Humane Slaughter Act (1958). Amended in 1978, this act requires that animals destined for food consumption be treated humanely prior to slaughter and be killed quickly and painlessly.²¹
• Lacey Act (1900). The first federal legislation to protect wildlife, it prohibits trade in animals and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported or sold.¹⁸
• Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (2019). The PACT Act outlaws acts of extreme cruelty, including burning, crushing, drowning, impaling, sexually exploiting or suffocating an animal, specifically in regard to interstate commerce or within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.¹⁸
• Swine Health Protection Act (1980). This act bans the feeding of “all waste material derived in whole or in part from the meat of any animal” and any refuse that has come in contact with it, to pigs that are being raised for human consumption.²²
• Twenty-Eight Hour Law (1873). Repealed then re-enacted in 1906 and again in 1994, this law requires that animals bound for slaughter being transported more than 28 hours by vehicle or by rail be offloaded for five hours for exercise, food and water.²³

Animal abuse by state

Every state also has some form of anti-animal cruelty laws on the books. These statutes typically ban abandonment and neglect, as well as mutilation and torture. Many counties and municipalities have animal welfare laws of their own.¹⁷

All states, except Iowa, issue felony-level penalties for the first offense of animal torture.

Here are the top five best and worst states for animal protection laws, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.²⁴

Best states for animal protection laws:

1. Oregon
2. Maine
3. Illinois
4. Massachusetts
5. Colorado

Worst states for animal protection laws:

1. North Dakota
2. Alabama
3. Idaho
4. South Carolina
5. Kentucky

Animal abuse in zoos statistics

Visiting a zoo is a great way to see wild, rare and exotic animals without having to travel to their natural habitat. Unfortunately, zoo animals sometimes aren’t suitable for a wild animal’s needs.

• There are only about 2,800 animal exhibitors in the U.S. that have United States Department of Agriculture licenses.¹⁰
• Fewer than 10% of the 2,800 animal exhibitors are accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). Accreditation means the facility has met rigorous standards for animal care and quality of life.¹⁰
• More tigers are held in captivity in the United States (in zoos, as captive pets or for other entertainment purposes) than are in the wild.² 

Circus animal abuse statistics

Animal neglect and abuse is known to occur in circuses, as trainers or circus workers may abuse the wild animals to get them to act in unnatural ways.

• Wild circus animals can spend up to 11 months out of the year in transit, locked in cages or shackled in chains.⁴ 
• Adult elephants can spend between 16 and 23 hours per day chained to concrete floors — even while giving birth. The babies are taken from their mothers and subjected to the same treatment to break their spirit, often with obvious wounds visible from trying to escape.⁶
• Since 1990, 126 big cat circus performers have died in captivity. Electric prods, bullhooks, whip sticks, shock collars, food deprivation and starvation are just a few of the tools trainers use to force animals to perform for humans.⁶

Although many countries have banned animals in circuses, the United States has yet to. The Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act — which would ban animal use in circuses in the U.S. — has yet to pass federally.

Here’s some good news about circus animals:

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey have performed animal-based circus shows for over 150 years. However, sales dropped significantly in the 2010s, partially due to animal abuse allegations. The pandemic shuttered the circus but Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey reopened in the fall of 2023 as an animal-free operation.

Animal shelter statistics

There are around 4,000 brick-and-mortar animal shelters in the United States.³ Although intake has increased for some animals, animal transfers have decreased from 2022 to 2023. Here are some animal shelter facts and statistics to consider:

• Around 6.5 million companion animals enter shelters each year around the country.¹²
• 3.3 million in shelters are cats, while 3.2 million are dogs.¹²
• About 50% of U.S. shelters are no-kill.¹
• An estimated 6 million pets are adopted from shelters each year.¹²
• Although owner surrenders for dogs have remained steady since 2021, stray intakes increased from 45% to 46% between 2022 and 2023.¹²
• Non-live outcomes (pets euthanized, died or lost in care) have increased by 24% for dogs in 2023 from 2022, while cat non-live outcomes have increased by 8% over the same period.¹²

How many dogs are euthanized each year?

In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, some 359,000 dogs in shelters were euthanized.¹² That’s down from 2019, when about 390,000 canines were euthanized.¹¹ 

Animal shelter statistics by state

Shelter animal intake and euthanasia statistics can vary widely by state and territory. Here are some U.S. animal shelter statistics by state:

• Mississippi has the highest animal kill rate in shelters at around 18%.¹
• New Hampshire and Delaware are the only no-kill states.¹
• Five states — California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas — are responsible for 44% of shelter animal euthanasia annually.¹³
• Only 24 states ban gas chambers as a euthanasia method, despite the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) declaring lethal injection as the only humane euthanasia method.⁵

Pet adoption statistics

Pet adoption numbers have increased since 2022, with 61% of shelter animals finding a home. Here are some more pet adoption facts and statistics.¹²

• Nearly 65% of cats in shelters in 2023 were adopted. 
• Nearly 56% of dogs in shelters in 2023 were adopted.
• Dog and cat adoptions in 2023 increased by 166,000 over 2022.

What is animal cruelty?

The definition of animal cruelty can differ by state, as can the prohibited actions and which animals receive legal protections. Anti-cruelty statutes typically only include companion domestic animals, though some state laws prevent “thrill killing” of wild animals. There may be different rules around livestock and hunting. 

Types of animal cruelty

There are three main types of animal cruelty.

• Neglect is the most common type of animal cruelty. This is when an owner doesn’t provide necessary shelter, food, water and veterinary care for the animal or pet. The most visible sign of neglect is keeping an animal in a cage or having them tethered to a stationary object that restricts its movement for most hours of the day or full-time.
• Hoarding is a severe type of neglect and cruelty. This occurs when an owner hoards many animals, creating overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. Hoarding leads to unsafe shelter and health conditions for the pet. It can lead to sickness, injury, starvation and death. 
• Physical abuse is an intentional act that causes pain, suffering or death. Physical abuse can take many forms, including dragging, kicking, choking, burning, suffocating, mutilating, beating, stabbing and throwing. Sexual abuse can also occur, which includes lacerations, ligature, injury or severe distress to the animal’s genitals.

Warning signs of animal cruelty

Although specialized, formal training is desired, law enforcement, community members and animal control officers can identify cruelty and animal abuse cases by signs such as:

• Collar or harness embedded in the animal’s flesh.
• Cruelly confining the animal on a short tether, in a hot car or small cage.
• Inappropriate or cruel training methods, such as hitting, suspending the legs off the floor as punishment, forcing the animal to run next to a car, throwing it in water or weighing it down.
• Insufficient ventilation, space or lighting for the number of animals in the home.
• Lack of sanitation, including no access to clean food or water and feces or urine inside the home.
• Lack of veterinary care when injured, diseased or dying.
• No proper shelter in extreme weather.
• Poor physical condition or obvious signs of trauma, such as open sores, excessively dirty, foul smelling, emaciated or skinny, severely matted fur, excessive head scratching or shaking.

What is the punishment for animal cruelty?

The penalty for animal cruelty depends on the state in which the crime occurs. People convicted of animal cruelty as a first offense can face fines and jail time. They may also be required to undergo psychological treatment.

Pet insurance for rescue dogs

Pet insurance is a great way to pay for costly veterinary care when your rescue dog gets sick or injured. The best pet insurance for rescue dogs depends on their age, breed, and health status. 

Pet insurance accident and illness plans can reimburse you for some of the following:

• Broken bones or fractures.
• Cancer and other diseases.
• Cuts and wounds.
• Gastrointestinal issues.
• Hospitalization.
• Illnesses.
• Infectious disease.
• Ingesting foreign objects.
• Lab testing and diagnostics.
• Poisoning.
• Some allergies.
• Some prescriptions.
• Surgery. 

If your rescue dog has previous injuries or diseases, you may not be able to get reimbursed for it through pet insurance, as many pet insurance companies exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions.

If you purchase a wellness plan add-on to your pet insurance, it can cover the important following needs for your rescue dog. 

• Blood and urine testing and analysis.
• Check-ups.
• Dental exams.
• Flea, tick and heartworm medications.
• Microchipping.
• Spay or neuter surgery.
• Vaccinations.

Learn more: What pet insurance covers

How to report animal abuse

Reporting animal abuse is the best way to prevent further suffering for animals facing cruelty. Learning how to report animal abuse anonymously online or by other methods can keep you safe while protecting the animal. However, having a credible witness that is willing to stand behind the report and potentially testify in court means the case is more likely to be investigated.

Take these steps to report someone for animal abuse:

• Document specific information. This includes things like dates, times, details, photographs or other evidence of the abuse so you can provide the correct information when reporting the abuse. Documentation can also help the appropriate authorities with their investigation, increasing the chances of the abuser being punished.
• If you witness animal abuse, call your local animal control agency or dial 911. You can also contact the Humane Society if your community isn’t equipped to handle animal or pet abuse cases or if local organizations aren’t available. Making a report for alleged animal cruelty requires the responding agency to investigate.
• Follow up if necessary. Try to learn if action has been taken and learn about the investigation progress. If you are sure no action is being taken, it may be worth contacting a supervisor or your local or state government official to discuss next steps.

Animal abuse statistics FAQs

How can animal abuse be stopped?

The best way to stop animal abuse is to report it to the police, local animal control agency or humane society if you witness it. Acting as soon as possible can prevent any further abuse of the animal. Set a good example of how to treat and respect animals. Teach your children the same so they can advocate for animals when they get older.