Animal Abuse and Advocacy on the Internet
New peer-to-peer file-sharing networks both problematic and promising
Written for Women's Radio
The online world has recently seen an explosion of revolutionary new websites allowing people to communicate and socialize in ways that were never before possible. Led by the proliferation of peer-to-peer file-sharing networks like MySpace and YouTube, the online exchange of everything from music and photo images to videos is having an enormous impact on our society and culture by enabling people to create and disseminate their own media. Yet as promising as these emerging technological tools are for grassroots education and advocacy, some people are using them to promote the violent abuse of animals as "entertainment."
Animal Snuff Fetish Videos
The most disturbing example of this troubling trend is "crush films" – videos of horrific cruelty to animals made to appeal to sexual deviants who are aroused by the torture and killing of animals. Crush films represent the extreme end of the pornographic spectrum, and have much in common with other violent videos depicting physical torture of humans (adults and even children). They typically feature women with names like "Princess of Death" and "Debbie the Destructor" slowly crushing kittens, puppies, monkeys, rodents, frogs and other small animals under stiletto heels, or with their buttocks or cleavage. Slowly tormenting their animal victims – breaking their bones one by one, strangling them, taunting them – is a central theme in these vicious videos.
Though it is difficult to understand why anyone would be sexually stimulated by watching helpless animals being tortured and killed, one undercover investigator's experience offers insight into the depraved minds of such individuals. While posing as a participant in a crush film, the investigator (who was doing research for the Ventura County, California district attorney's office) was given precise instructions on how to kill a dog and told to torture him for at least 90 minutes before delivering the death blow. Through her participation in chat rooms, the investigator discovered that crush fetishists like to fantasize that they themselves are being trampled to death under the foot of a merciless dominatrix, so prolonging the torture apparently serves to increase the viewer's lustful excitement.
The popularity of crush videos continues to rise dramatically despite passage of a federal law in 1999 banning the creation, sale or possession of films featuring crushing or stomping of animals. An estimated 2,000 titles in this sickening genre have been produced so far, and the global market for these movies is growing rapidly online along with the popularity of MySpace and YouTube. There are also an increasing number of websites featuring crush films alongside other videos depicting violence, gore and shocking cruelty.
MySpace, which boasts over 40 million users worldwide, recently hosted a video of two 14-year-old Indiana girls kicking, shoving and dropping a cat whose body they had encased up to the neck in plastic wrap. The cat is visibly terrified as he helplessly takes their abuse, including laughter and taunts such as “How does it feel?” These comments are similar to those made by women in crush videos while they torture small animals. Fortunately, animal advocates brought the video to the attention of authorities, and the girls now face animal cruelty charges.
While crush films are strictly illegal, certain factors make prosecuting individuals who make and distribute them difficult. For instance, crush fetishists in the U.S. can legally give these videos away for free online as long as their Internet hosting company is located in a country where animal snuff films are still legal. Identifying those who make, promote and star in the videos is also challenging. Crush actresses usually hide their faces from the camera's view, and websites that carry the videos often don't track information about those who submit them.
Prosecuting those who make, promote, distribute and act in animal snuff films is a formidable task, but criminal charges and even convictions have been brought against some of these individuals. Efforts by animal advocates and concerned citizens to alert authorities to illegal crush videos have been instrumental in bringing these dangerous deviants to justice. Since crush videos feature crimes caught on film, you can report websites that feature these sick movies to both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice and ask them to investigate the illegal animal cruelty they depict and arrest those responsible.
- FBI (contact your local FBI office)
- Department of Justice
Potential for animal advocacy
While the Internet certainly has a dark side, many are also using it to expose and discourage animal cruelty. In Defense of Animals (IDA), for instance, has pages on both MySpace and YouTube where we have posted undercover videos showing animal abuse in factory farms, circuses, research labs and other places that exploit animals for profit. Numerous other organizations and individuals have also put videos online to educate people about the hidden reality of animal abuse by different industries. The Internet gives animal advocates the potential to reach millions of viewers with footage that television stations won't air.
While these videos also feature extreme animal cruelty, animal protectionists disseminate them with the opposite intention as those who promote crush films. Rather than encourage the gratuitous torture and killing of animals for pleasure, undercover exposés show animals of many different species – both wild and domestic – completely at the mercy of humans who all too often abuse their power over helpless creatures. The hope is that these disturbing images will make people more aware of the tragic plight facing billions of animals in today's world and motivate viewers to actively oppose animal cruelty.
For example, at the website for Undercover TV, IDA's groundbreaking animal rights television program (which airs on public access stations in over 80 cities throughout the U.S.), you can find video footage from an investigation of a Chinese fur ranch where workers chop animals' legs off with axes and skin them while they are still clearly alive and conscious. China produces over half the world's fur and has no animal welfare laws, so it is important for consumers to know that they may be financing horrific animal cruelty when they purchase fur. Undercover videos like this one are crucial to helping people make informed purchasing decisions.
Anyone can make a page for free on MySpace and YouTube, and they are a great way to educate people about animal issues and make new friends, so visit their websites to get started.
Written for Women's Radio
The online world has recently seen an explosion of revolutionary new websites allowing people to communicate and socialize in ways that were never before possible. Led by the proliferation of peer-to-peer file-sharing networks like MySpace and YouTube, the online exchange of everything from music and photo images to videos is having an enormous impact on our society and culture by enabling people to create and disseminate their own media. Yet as promising as these emerging technological tools are for grassroots education and advocacy, some people are using them to promote the violent abuse of animals as "entertainment."
Animal Snuff Fetish Videos
The most disturbing example of this troubling trend is "crush films" – videos of horrific cruelty to animals made to appeal to sexual deviants who are aroused by the torture and killing of animals. Crush films represent the extreme end of the pornographic spectrum, and have much in common with other violent videos depicting physical torture of humans (adults and even children). They typically feature women with names like "Princess of Death" and "Debbie the Destructor" slowly crushing kittens, puppies, monkeys, rodents, frogs and other small animals under stiletto heels, or with their buttocks or cleavage. Slowly tormenting their animal victims – breaking their bones one by one, strangling them, taunting them – is a central theme in these vicious videos.
Though it is difficult to understand why anyone would be sexually stimulated by watching helpless animals being tortured and killed, one undercover investigator's experience offers insight into the depraved minds of such individuals. While posing as a participant in a crush film, the investigator (who was doing research for the Ventura County, California district attorney's office) was given precise instructions on how to kill a dog and told to torture him for at least 90 minutes before delivering the death blow. Through her participation in chat rooms, the investigator discovered that crush fetishists like to fantasize that they themselves are being trampled to death under the foot of a merciless dominatrix, so prolonging the torture apparently serves to increase the viewer's lustful excitement.
The popularity of crush videos continues to rise dramatically despite passage of a federal law in 1999 banning the creation, sale or possession of films featuring crushing or stomping of animals. An estimated 2,000 titles in this sickening genre have been produced so far, and the global market for these movies is growing rapidly online along with the popularity of MySpace and YouTube. There are also an increasing number of websites featuring crush films alongside other videos depicting violence, gore and shocking cruelty.
MySpace, which boasts over 40 million users worldwide, recently hosted a video of two 14-year-old Indiana girls kicking, shoving and dropping a cat whose body they had encased up to the neck in plastic wrap. The cat is visibly terrified as he helplessly takes their abuse, including laughter and taunts such as “How does it feel?” These comments are similar to those made by women in crush videos while they torture small animals. Fortunately, animal advocates brought the video to the attention of authorities, and the girls now face animal cruelty charges.
While crush films are strictly illegal, certain factors make prosecuting individuals who make and distribute them difficult. For instance, crush fetishists in the U.S. can legally give these videos away for free online as long as their Internet hosting company is located in a country where animal snuff films are still legal. Identifying those who make, promote and star in the videos is also challenging. Crush actresses usually hide their faces from the camera's view, and websites that carry the videos often don't track information about those who submit them.
Prosecuting those who make, promote, distribute and act in animal snuff films is a formidable task, but criminal charges and even convictions have been brought against some of these individuals. Efforts by animal advocates and concerned citizens to alert authorities to illegal crush videos have been instrumental in bringing these dangerous deviants to justice. Since crush videos feature crimes caught on film, you can report websites that feature these sick movies to both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice and ask them to investigate the illegal animal cruelty they depict and arrest those responsible.
- FBI (contact your local FBI office)
- Department of Justice
Potential for animal advocacy
While the Internet certainly has a dark side, many are also using it to expose and discourage animal cruelty. In Defense of Animals (IDA), for instance, has pages on both MySpace and YouTube where we have posted undercover videos showing animal abuse in factory farms, circuses, research labs and other places that exploit animals for profit. Numerous other organizations and individuals have also put videos online to educate people about the hidden reality of animal abuse by different industries. The Internet gives animal advocates the potential to reach millions of viewers with footage that television stations won't air.
While these videos also feature extreme animal cruelty, animal protectionists disseminate them with the opposite intention as those who promote crush films. Rather than encourage the gratuitous torture and killing of animals for pleasure, undercover exposés show animals of many different species – both wild and domestic – completely at the mercy of humans who all too often abuse their power over helpless creatures. The hope is that these disturbing images will make people more aware of the tragic plight facing billions of animals in today's world and motivate viewers to actively oppose animal cruelty.
For example, at the website for Undercover TV, IDA's groundbreaking animal rights television program (which airs on public access stations in over 80 cities throughout the U.S.), you can find video footage from an investigation of a Chinese fur ranch where workers chop animals' legs off with axes and skin them while they are still clearly alive and conscious. China produces over half the world's fur and has no animal welfare laws, so it is important for consumers to know that they may be financing horrific animal cruelty when they purchase fur. Undercover videos like this one are crucial to helping people make informed purchasing decisions.
Anyone can make a page for free on MySpace and YouTube, and they are a great way to educate people about animal issues and make new friends, so visit their websites to get started.
