It’s easy to be complacent about animal abuse, imagining that only ignorant and depraved people would hurt animals. Many imagine that animal abuse is something only those who grow up to be serial killers would do. The abuse of animals is seen as a rare and unusual crime, and the problem of animal abuse could not possibly be something that hides in plain sight.

Unfortunately, the vulnerable position of animals in society makes animal abuse almost inevitable. Such is the case of Steffen Baldwin, who was charged with 42 felony indictments connected to the death and abuse of 18 dogs.

Steffen Baldwin was the last person you would suspect of animal abuse: described as charming and confident, he was a former leader of the Union County Humane Society in Marysville, Ohio. He founded a non-profit and set himself up as a hero for dogs that were difficult and traumatized.

Justice for Remi

One particular dog, Remi, became a victim of Baldwin’s scam and was murdered by Baldwin. His former owners wanted him re-homed and trained. They loved Remi but could not care for him. Baldwin took their money to re-home and train Remi, and instead of caring for him, he had him euthanized. Baldwin, like many abusers, was manipulative and had no problem lying. He filed a false report with Union County officials claiming Remi was a dangerous animal. Remi had been in perfect health. This was a cold-blooded killing in which Baldwin used the system’s inherent weaknesses against an animal who had no one to advocate for him.

The couple, who battled for justice for Remi, explained that their story often fell on deaf ears. The life of Remi, and the mysterious way in which he died is something beneath the interest of most people.

Baldwin’s scam claimed the lives of many other pets than just Remi. Somehow, just by presenting a pleasing demeanor, Baldwin was allowed to infiltrate the lives of animals, abuse and kill them. Justice won’t be done for Remi until abuse against animals is acknowledged as a common problem. The systems that place a low value on animal life and allow an animal to be officially murdered must be dismantled. Animals must be protected from humans who could harm them, and a human good-will towards animals should never be taken at face value.

Read More:

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/511159-ohio-animal-rights-advocate-faces-42-counts-of-abuse-charges

When Whip’s owners’ went to feed their beloved horse in the morning, they found he was gone. Then they wandered into a nearby field where they made a horrific discovery. They found the body of their beloved friend and family member, completely butchered. This was a cold blooded killing: the horse had been butchered in the dead of night, somewhere between midnight and 5am, ostensibly for his meat. There have been other similar incidents in nearby counties, indicating that a killer may well be targeting horses in the local area.

The Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Agricultural Crimes Intelligence Unit are working on this crime and Collier County deputies have increased their presence in areas where people keep horses. Just like serial killers who target humans, it seems vulnerable horses are being preyed upon. Horses can be picked off by killers at their leisure as they graze in fields, powerless to protect themselves.

It is difficult to imagine what Whip went through in his final minutes or hours. The killer worked in the dead of night to butcher Whip, and more than likely took pleasure in the horse’s suffering. Whip’s owners describe themselves as grief-stricken. Their loss is the loss of a family member. They explain how they miss the 8 year old horse Whip, who they adopted as a four year old, and his “great personality.” Their loss is the loss of a sovereign individual who can never be replaced, and worse, a family member who was killed in the most brutal and gruesome way. Whip’s family are offering a $12,600 reward to anyone who can provide info about the person who killed him. This cannot bring back Whip, but if his killer is caught, another horse will not have to endure the unimaginable pain of brutal violence, and another family will not have to grieve the loss of beloved family member.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/family-s-horse-found-butchered-florida-horrific-crime-n1145841

There is a qualitative difference in how we talk about animal vs. human abuse. That also translates into how we punish animal abuse. A man from Missouri has been released into house arrest after he tortured and killed at least 12 cats that he brought from craigslist for the specific purpose of killing and torturing them. The man revealed that he enjoyed stamping on the heads of cats and killing them by strangling them. He seemed to enjoy victimizing a wide variety of cats. He used craigslist to obtain mother cats, baby kittens and adult cats. Craigslist was this man’s a la carte menu of victims, a way he could easily gain access to a variety of animal victims to appease his violent appetites.

The man is considered a violent animal abuser and faces felony animal abuse charges. This pattern of killing and abuse seems deeply ingrained, to the extent that he will probably always be a danger to animals, and even humans. There is a petition urging the St. Charles County prosecuting attorney to prosecute the man to the fullest extent of the law and require extensive psychological intervention. If this man had abused and killed humans, he would be considered a dangerous serial killer. Unlike with a serial killer, however, this animal murderer will be free in the future to hurt animals and humans too. The max sentence for animal cruelty rarely stretches beyond five years. Several studies and the FBI have found a correlation between animal cruelty and the crimes of serial killers and rapists. Animal cruelty still ranks below cruelty to humans even though it is an equivalent violent crime, as perpetrators harm humans too.

The other side of this issue is that craigslist is effectively allowing animals to be trafficked by allowing them to be listed on their website without protections. There’s no guarantee that animals listed through craigslist will go to a good home. The fact that animals can be listed on craigslist indicates how low animal life is valued in the first place. Serial killers and abusers can obtain animals like they are property (as they’re considered by the law), and treat them like objects to be defiled. The ease with which this animal serial killer could torture and kill animals shows how much work there is to be done on the issue of sheltering animals from abuse and taking animal abuse seriously as the horrific violence that it is.
Read more about this issue, share the petition, and read about why you should never list animals on craigslist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruelty_to_animals

https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/state-animal-cruelty-chart.pdf

https://www.thoughtco.com/dont-give-pets-away-free-127759