Responding Effectively to Frequently Asked Questions About bestiality, zoophilia, and
sexual abuse of animals.
1. You have seen the evidence in your web browsing, perhaps you were using a search
engine to find information on animals or pets with your child for a school project. You
were shocked and embarrassed, then outraged when you saw pages of links to web sites that
were clearly promoting sex with animals, and illegal pornography depicting this. You
thought that kind of abuse was just an old farm joke, but you quickly realize you are
finding more and more of this material in almost every forum from IRC chats and web search
engines to usenet newsgroups and everything else.
You are not alone, more and more animal rights and welfare activists, humane groups and
pet owners have increasingly noticed bestiality and zoophilia is far more common then they
imagined. Until recently, the issue was so taboo mainstream animal groups have not
addressed this, people didn't want to hear about it and it was considered a small side
issue that was not common.
This changed in March 1998 when Mike Rolland, a recovering ex-zoophile began efforts to
change that after zoophiles appeared on the Jerry Springer show promoting
zoophilia. Then in January 1999 the Humane Society of the US (HSUS) announced they
were going after this abuse with legislation after having investigated this issue for four
years and determining some 22 states had no laws against this in any form!
The point was hammered home when several sexual assaults on animals occurred within a
fairly short time span which appeared in the media. Here are just a few examples of those caught
which I know of:
References
- Buttons
, June 1998 a mare in Boliver county Mississippi was attacked in her barn by
three males, one of whom was allegedly kicked in the face. They retaliated by dragging her
to death behind their truck for one mile. (One suspect previously killed a dog in a
laundromat coin-op dryer for fun.)
Six dogs sexually abused, with internal injuries and infections, Plumas County CA.
Case #99-25182 Stephen R. and Aaron M. charged with four felony counts of cruelty to
animals and eight counts of misdemeanor sexual assault.
Victorville California Brian C. June 24 1998 arrest, theft and sexual attack on a
horse, defendant with priors for sexual assaults on other animals.
November, 1998 - Thonotosassa, Florida
November, 1998 - Hamilton, Montana also involved pedophilia
July 1998 - Janesville, Wisconsin, Barry H. priors included pedophilia, torture and
killing animals
July 1998 - Victorville, California, repeat offender on mares
July 1998 - Manatee Co., Florida, forced anal sex on a dog
October 1998 - Stillwater, Oklahoma
Feb. 2, 1998 - Juan A. California
February, 1997 - El Cajon, California, breaking and entering, assaulting a horse, repeat
offender
2. The first and second term are essentially the same, as we see it on the internet, zoophilia
once meant simply, a love of animals, much as the term: Gay once meant someone who
was happy.
Zoosexuality, zoosexual and bestialist as words do not exist in any dictionary,
they are used by people who have sex with animals as a form of legitimizing this abuse,
and to separate themselves from those who just have sex with animals from those who claim
a relationship with sex included.
It all comes under the accepted definition of Bestiality
Bestiality is the act of having sexual contact with an animal, it is often an
opportunistic form of gratification which was not very common, but today with the
internet's instant communication it is rapidly becoming the latest new fad or kinky
interest activity for people to experiment with. One zoophile's web site alone featured
over 2,000 personal ads from people looking for information, to get together, or to
acquire or borrow an animal to experiment with.
Animal activists helped shut this down along with many others, but new ones appear weekly.
People known as zoophiles claim their activities are consensual, but their
paraphilia illness is similar to pedophilia, and like pedophiles they attempt to justify
their activities.
People who practice this form of sexual activity appear to have many background
similarities to pedophiles: early childhood sexual abuse or neglect, low self esteem,
social problems, shyness and other aspects.
Both men and women do this, although it appears women engage in this more frequently, that
is misleading due to the enormous amount of bestiality pornography made largely for the
benefit of male viewers. The most common abuser is a young male, roughly age 18 to mid
30s.
The Animals' Agenda , Volume 15, Number 6, pp 29-31 November/December 1995 Author:
Carol J. Adams
(please see the References section at the end for their
contact information and the complete article) has this to say:
Bestiality: The Unmentioned Abuse
..In the second kind, an animal becomes the exclusive focus of a human's desires.
Although many medical terms have been applied to a fixation on gratification with animals,
those who engage in this prefer to be known as zoophiles, a word borrowed, ironically,
from the animal protection community. The zoophile's world view is similar to the rapist's
and child sexual abuser's. They all view the physical gratifications they have with their
victims as consensual, and they believe it benefits their partners as well as themselves.
Just as pedophiles differentiate between those who abuse children and those who love
children-placing themselves, of course, in the latter group-zoophiles distinguish between
animal sexual abusers (bestialists) and those who love animals (zoophiles). In each of
these cases the distinctions are only self-justifications.
Kim Roberts, from the HSUS has this to say:
Many animal sexual abusers are similar to pedophiles. They'll defend their actions
by stating that their victims consent. The fact is, no child or animal is capable of
consenting to sexual activity with an adult human being, said Kim Roberts, MSW, manager of
The HSUS' First Strike! TM campaign. References
Criminology Professor Piers Beirne calls this abuse: Inter-species sexual assault Rethinking
bestiality ISSN 1362-4806 Volume 1 #3 1997; pp 317- 340 Piers Beirne, professor of
criminology, University of Southern Maine, used with permission of the author References
3. Some of the medical problems in the animals who are sexually abused include both
sexually intact as well as neutered and spayed dogs, gelded or intact equines, mares and
other animals.
The health risks includes, but is not limited to the following, some is applicable to
small animals only:
- Vaginitus, either from bacteria or foreign substances used for lube that do not belong
there, an allergic reaction to human bodily fluids, tearing, or irritation from repeated
frequent contact.
- Urinary tract infections
- Ascending vaginal infections which affect the bladder
- Ascending vaginal infections resulting in a life threatening medical emergency known as;
pyometra- common in unspayed dogs
- Spread of brucellosis from one infected animal to another through sharing or successive
contacts with the human acting as the carrier between them. At special risk are boarding
facilities
- Marked dramatic increase in the risk for the animal to develop mammary cancers, ovarian
cancers, ovarian cysts, accidental pregnancy, pyometra since these animals are preferred
to be kept sexually intact.
- Benign prostatic enlargement, prostate infection, infection, irritation or tearing of
the penile sheath or penis, testicular and prostatic cancers.
- Side effects may include behavioral problems such as: marking (inappropriate urination
indoors), fighting, and dominance displays on the owner. All of which have been cited as
main reasons people give up pets to animal shelters!
Animals were designed by nature to have specific limited duration breeding cycles with
their own kind. Since most of the abuse concerns dogs, I will go into detail into that
species, although much applies to all mammals to various degrees.
The females come into breeding estrus twice per year, the rest of the time the female in a
period of diestrus for repair and rest. Females are only drawn to the males for breeding,
and can actively breed during a limited time of each of these cycles.
Along comes someone who now through coercion, bribery, threats, or dominance penetrates
the female in her out of breeding cycles, and perpetrates this repeatedly- perhaps on a daily
basis.
Her being kept intact subjects her to the risk of pyometra, infections and additional
risks of cancers as mentioned previously. Would you be surprised to know that a female dog
spayed before her first breeding cycle has virtually a zero percent chance of
contracting pyometra, uterine infections ovarian cancers, ovarian cysts, and mammary gland
cancers? One of the leading causes of death in this species is cancer, especially mammary
gland cancer. Males are at a much greater risk for various cancers from being kept intact.
References
Equines can be spooked by a stranger late at night in their quarters, resulting in injury
or even death, a special concern for boarding facilities and for valuable breeding
animals.
4. The most common animal involved is the dog, both male and female, spayed, neutered
or not, but preferred to be intact. Some use their intact dogs for pornographic or erotica
films, encouraging their mixed breeds to mate and produce litters while dogs are killed in
animal shelters every hour.
I wish I could say spay/neuter would prevent zoophilism but it won't. Although any breed
is at risk, large breeds such as German Shepherds, Golden retrievers, Akitas, Mastiff, St
Bernards etc., are preferred.
Equine victims include both stallions and geldings as well as mares, the favored animal is
the miniature horse due to their size and lower costs, they can also be brought indoors.
Other animals are used in this fashion as well, less commonly the list includes sheep,
goats, raccoons, llamas, donkeys and even dolphins.
A human sexuality survey containing some 32,000 responses offer a good clue as to the
interest in and participation in bestiality, it is greater than pedophilia. References
5 .What you can do to help prevent one of your animals winding up in their hands;
Only offer spayed/neutered puppies, or have a good signed stiff contact requiring it.
Stallions should not be sold to random callers you don't know, geld them before sale to
anyone you don't know. Avoid selling female animals to single men, this can be tricky, but
since most zoophiles are single males, they are a much higher risk to sell to than a
couple who shows up with a five year old child. Be especially suspicious if someone is
unwilling to spay/neuter/geld and sidesteps questions as to why.
Veterinarians and humane societies should have warning bells go off especially when they
suggest a routine spay/neuter/geld and the male owner refuses to consider it, and won't
say why! This is more so where there is a large female animal involved. Likely a
percentage of the men who protest cutting male animals so avidly are in fact, engaging in
this abuse and are afraid the animal will no longer be able to 'perform'.
Some abusers are also involved in animal related fields, the psychology in the media
describing how pedophiles often take jobs at day-care centers, in nursery schools, as
teachers, coaches, churches and other jobs that put them in direct contact with their
victims. They all have a direct authority over their victims which gains the trust and
seclusion they need. Zoophiles, like pedophiles, tend to seek animal (or child) related
jobs- veterinary assistants, humane society volunteers, boarding facilities, as stable
hands, grooms, dog groomers and breeders, even animal control officers. Those who prefer
purebred animals usually become involved with related groups, associations and the like. References
There are just no clear-cut absolute signs that a person engages in bestiality.
6. Emphatically I say: no, as a former zoophile involved with the on-line
activities for over 3 years, I only know of only one person who wanted to get help besides
myself. The pro zoophilia web sites and forums all indicate a complete refusal to accept
help or to change. Indeed just the opposite message is clearly indicated: they don't want
help and also don't want legislation against this. They cite that the DMS IV mental health
manual doesn't consider zoophilism to be a mental illness.
Psychiatrists are trained and paid to help human patients be happy and accept themselves,
they are not paid to protect animals! There are a number of quotes from professionals
regarding zoophilia References
7. The best up to date law page is on the HSUS web site (see references) The answer is:
no, many animal abuse laws do not cover this, and the states that have bestiality laws
include it only as sodomy, not an animal protection law.
Unless the text of the animal abuse law specifically mentions or defines acts of sexual
contact in some way, the court usually can't decide it is abuse and charge someone.
Currently, some 22 states have no laws on this at all, a fact that caused the HSUS to get
involved in the legislative aspects of this after conduction investigations.
The penalties for bestiality as a sodomy issue range from a small fine to 20 years and
$50,000 fine and are rarely ever enforced.
Other countries have laws, a couple of examples include: the UK (Life in jail) Canada (10
years in jail) and Australia. References
8. A number of activists and I have been very successful in legally removing web sites
and forums promoting bestiality. That is opposed to removing sites clearly offering
pornography, those sites are usually overseas and untouchable.
What is involved is simply contacting the web server host, usually: postmaster@(The domain
name here) and citing the contents of a web site on their server violates their terms of
service for content. Most all ISP's in the USA forbid pornography, links to same, or
promotion of illegal activities. We simply cite these items and that the HSUS has
announced zoophilia/bestiality is animal abuse and is promoting legislation. State laws
regarding sex with animals also can be cited along with any graphic text on the site as an
example of what is there.
This helps reduce the number of people accessing these forums to acquire information and
help to engage in bestiality, it also breaks inter-site hyper links and search engine
indexing.
Activists may freely use any materials from my web site and distribute them and
information on this abuse to your various animal related groups, clubs, friends, animal
shelters, boarding facilities, pet groomers and veterinarians.
Submit any of these items to animal related magazines and periodicals, request that animal
groups who have web sites add this issue and links to their sites.
Contact your elected reps and show them this issue, ask that they look into this and their
laws.
9. Helpful links and resources
