Animal cruelty

Dear Mr. president I am writing you this letter to talk to you about animal rights. The first thing I worry about is all the animals in zoo’s. According to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association , there are over 10,000 zoos worldwide. In the U.S. alone, the Department of Agriculture licenses 2,400 "animal exhibitors," of which 212 are members of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, an organization that requires high standards of animal care, science, and conservation. And for those animals living in zoos have behavioural problems A government-funded study of elephants in UK zoos found that 54% of the elephants showed stereotypies behavioural problems during the daytime. One elephant observed during day and night stereotyped for 61% of a 24-hour period. Lions in zoos spend 48% of their time pacing, a recognised sign of behavioural problems. Resources: Critics Question Zoos' Commitment to Conservation http://www.captiveanimals.org/news/2010/03/10-facts-about-zoos Secondly I need to talk about the animals getting put in animal shelters in america. Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats. Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized (1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats). Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats. About 649,000 animals who enter shelters as strays are returned to their owners. Of those, 542,000 are dogs and only 100,000 are cats. Of the dogs entering shelters, approximately 35% are adopted, 31% are euthanized and 26% of dogs who came in as strays are returned to their owner. Of the cats entering shelters, approximately 37% are adopted, 41% are euthanized, and less than 5% of cats who came in as strays are returned to their owners. About twice as many animals enter shelters as strays compared to the number that are relinquished by their owners. Resources: Pet Statistics | ASPCA http://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics And third of all is the animal abuse in america. These are the statistics: 70.1% involved dogs. 20.9% involved cats. 24.1% involved other animals Undercover investigations have revealed that animal abuse abounds in the factory farm industry. But because of the weak protections afforded to livestock under state cruelty laws, only the most shocking cases are reported. There are approximately 70 million pet dogs and 74.1 million pet cats in the U.S. where 20 men and women are assaulted per minute. In one survey, 71 percent of domestic violence victims reported that their abuser also targeted pets. In one study of families under investigation for suspected child abuse, researchers found that pet abuse had occurred in 88 percent of the families under supervision for physical abuse of their children. Resources: http://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics Sincerely, April Jenkins