Animal Legal Defense Fund Releases Report on States and Animal Abuse Laws: Utah Has Weakest Animal Abuse Laws in Country

The full report can be found at http://www.aldf.org/news/details.php?id=323

In essence, those who commit animal abuse in Utah get off too easily as animal torture is not a felony in Utah. In addition, Utah has little animal fighting provisions. The other states with low scores: Alaska, Arkansas, Kentucky, and North Dakota.

The full report can be found at http://www.aldf.org/news/details.php?id=323

Here is a synopsis of the results. As stated at their site, the reports “..is based on a detailed comparative analysis of the animal protection laws of each jurisdiction, researching fourteen distinct categories of provisions throughout more than 2,800 pages of statutes. The ranking groups states into a top, middle or bottom tier, and includes a listing of the best five and worst five states.”

Best Five California, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Oregon

Worst Five Arkansas, Alaska, Kentucky, North Dakota, Utah

Top Tier California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Vermont, Virginia

Middle Tier Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Carolina

Bottom Tier Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming