The compounding feminization of animal cruelty investigation work and its multispecies implications

Coulter, Kendra; Fitzgerald, Amy

doi:10.1111/gwao.12230

Cited by 15 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…The qualitative data from Manitoba reinforce the findings from the small body of research on animal cruelty investigations which have consistently found that officers engage daily in multiple kinds of labour and require a cross-section of skills [6,8]. Coulter has argued that animal protection officers are part law enforcement, part social worker, and part nurse [9,30].…”

Section: Key Qualitative Findingssupporting

confidence: 64%

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Public Investment in Animal Protection Work: Data from Manitoba, Canada

Coulter

Campbell

2020

Animals

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Simple Summary: This paper explains how animal protection work is organized and undertaken in Manitoba, Canada. In most Canadian provinces (and countries of the Commonwealth), responsibility for investigations into crimes against animals has been assigned to charities reliant on donations and fundraising. Manitoba is one of the only provinces in Canada to use public money to fund animal cruelty investigations. However, there is no scholarly research on Manitoba's model. This paper offers the first examination of Manitoba's publicly funded animal protection model. It explains the organizational structure and investigations process, then identifies strengths and areas for improvement.Abstract: There is a dearth of research on animal cruelty investigations policy and work, despite its importance for protecting animals from illegal forms of cruelty. This study provides baseline data about the approach used in Manitoba, one of the only Canadian provinces where animal protection is publicly funded. By integrating statistical and qualitative data collected through interviews with key informants, this paper elucidates how animal cruelty investigations are organized and undertaken in the province. Although animal protection in Manitoba is publicly funded, the workforce responsible for undertaking investigations is a cross-section of public and private actors with different occupational classifications and working conditions.

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Section: Key Qualitative Findingssupporting

confidence: 64%

“…This makes enforcement work more challenging, increases the physical and psychological risks for officers, and constrains their abilities to reach and most effectively protect animals [6][7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Investment in Animal Protection Work: Data from Manitoba, Canada

Coulter

Campbell

2020

Animals

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“…The potential reasons for this reduced response include stress and fatigue due to excessive workloads and recurrent threatening situations ( 18 ), ambiguous definitions of unnecessary suffering ( 19 ), and reserving the limited resources of both the police and official veterinarians for the most serious cases. Also, compassion toward an animal owner and moral distress from reporting underprivileged people to the police may prevent an official animal welfare authority from initiating a criminal procedure ( 20 , 21 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Current knowledge of the intertwined welfare of human and non-human animals ( 27 , 28 ) and the explanations presented by people accused of crimes against animals [e.g., ( 4 , 11 )] indicate that violations of animal welfare reflect the economic hardship and untreated mental health issues of the animal owners. Studies from Canada and the Netherlands show that the animal welfare officers are aware of their role in the net of One Welfare and the essentiality of the health and social conditions of people to the health and welfare of their animals ( 20 , 21 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal Welfare Control—Inspection Findings and the Threshold for Requesting a Police Investigation

et al. 2021

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An increasing proportion of animal welfare violations in Finland are related to companion animals. However, only a small number of these issues are investigated or prosecuted. The aims of this study were (i) to describe the inspection findings and the resulting actions of the official municipal veterinarians in the Finnish Capital Region and (ii) to identify the factors that predict their submissions of investigation requests to the police. Our data consisted of animal welfare complaints and official veterinarians' inspection reports and decisions from 811 cases of animal welfare control in the Finnish Capital Region. The data covered the period from March 2019 to April 2020. We performed logistic regression analyses to identify the factors that best predict when official veterinarians detect non-compliances and report the cases for police investigation. In 86% (696/811) of the cases, the veterinarians performed at least one animal welfare inspection, and/or received information from the police, or otherwise investigated the complaint. The most common forms of non-compliance were lack of basic maintenance and care (42%, 295/696) and insufficient veterinary care (27%, 185/696). The veterinarians requested for a police investigation in 9.6% (44/460) of all cases with detected non-compliances. The best predictors for detecting non-compliances with the animal welfare legislation were complaints of insufficient veterinary care (OR 1.9, CI 1.1–3.4), the cases assessed by the information from the police and/or an animal shelter (OR 15.2, CI 7.9–29.2), at least one inspection in an animal's premises with prior warning (OR 11.2, CI 5.5–22.6), and without prior warning (OR 17.0, CI 9.7–29.5). Complaints of violence against animals were negatively associated with detecting non-compliances (OR 0.5, CI 0.3–0.9). However, the detection of violence against animals predicted requests for police investigations (OR 9.3, CI 3.1–27.9), as did the execution of permanent urgent measures by official veterinarians (OR 4.9, CI 1.9–12.9). To improve the animal welfare control system and the investigation of crimes against animals, cooperation between officials should be developed. Further studies are needed to improve the understanding of the prevalence of violence against animals, and to advance methods used by animal welfare control to identify cases of violence.

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“…Across industrialized countries of the anglo-global north, responsibility for the frontline investigations and enforcement of animal cruelty legislation is commonly assigned to nonprofit animal welfare charities-particularly national Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCAs). This is the case in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand (Coulter and Fitzgerald 2019;Rodriguez Ferrere et al 2019;Hughes and Lawson 2011;Morton et al 2021). The United States, where the majority of this work is undertaken by and split about evenly between policing agencies or public animal care and control services (each is responsible for 46-47% of regions, while nonprofits cover the remaining areas), is the exception (National Link Coalition 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Organization of Animal Protection Investigations and the Animal Harm Spectrum: Canadian Data, International Lessons

Coulter

2022

Social Sciences

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This paper offers the first overview of the Canadian animal cruelty investigations landscape. First, the public and private sector organizations responsible for enforcement are explained, followed by examination of the implications of this patchwork for reporting suspected cruelty. Key statistical data are presented about the types of issues and cases and investigator responses. Initial recommendations are then proposed, and the value of the animal harm spectrum is discussed, including how it can be mobilized to strengthen the operations of animal protection work and animal welfare policy across nations.

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The compounding feminization of animal cruelty investigation work and its multispecies implications

Cited by 15 publications

References 56 publications

Public Investment in Animal Protection Work: Data from Manitoba, Canada

Public Investment in Animal Protection Work: Data from Manitoba, Canada

Animal Welfare Control—Inspection Findings and the Threshold for Requesting a Police Investigation

The Organization of Animal Protection Investigations and the Animal Harm Spectrum: Canadian Data, International Lessons

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