Table 21. Amount of discussion of animal issues

Table 22. Universities with human-animal studies courses and animal law programs

Table 23. Average “Humane Scorecard” scores for the U.S. Congress

Table 24. U.S. states with felony-level animal cruelty laws

Table 25. Adults who agree with overarching animal protection goals

Table 16. Per capita consumption of animal products (pounds)

Table 17. Adults that are vegetarian/vegan

Table 18. Number of Land-based animals slaughtered (in 1,000's) per year

Table 19. U.S. states with minimal anti-confinement laws

Table 20. Number of animals certified under the major humane labeling programs

Table 11. Proportion of states with laws that limit owning or keeping exotic animals

Table 12. Number of U.S. species listed as endangered or vulnerable

Table 13. Acreage of Protected Lands

Table 14. Number of hunting licenses issued in the U.S.

Table 15. Proportion of adults who think that buying and wearing fur is “morally acceptable”

Table 6. Number of Animal Welfare Act covered animals used in animal experiments

Table 7. Proportion of experiments that involve pain without providing anesthesia/analgesia

Table 8. Proportion of states with student choice policies in place to avoid dissection

Table 9. Proportion of medical schools that do not require terminal animal labs

Table 10. Proportion of adults that think medical testing on animals is “morally acceptable”

Table 1. Number of animals killed in the shelter system

Table 2. Number of animals entering shelters

Table 3. Sources of new companion animals

Table 4. U.S. states with laws regulating companion animal breeders

Table 5. Proportion of adults who say the welfare and protection of companion animals is important

Method/Source: Using research provided by the Humane Research Council’s Animal Tracker survey of U.S. adults, in which the question asks, “Do you personally support or oppose the animal protection movement’s goal to minimize and eventually eliminate all forms of animal cruelty and suffering?” The score is the current proportion of U.S. adults that “strongly” or “somewhat” support this goal, as a proportion of the target of 100%.

Discussion: Many of the goals of the animal protection movement rely on individuals to change their behaviors and attitudes regarding animals. For advocates to achieve the specific goals discussed in this study, the U.S. population must have attitudes that reflect a desire to protect animals from cruelty and suffering. To measure this, we turned to a survey question that the Humane Research Council asked in 2008 and 2010 regarding support for the goal of ending cruelty toward and suffering of animals. The amount of support for this goal showed only a 1% decrease between 2008 and 2010, with 69% of people either "strongly" or "somewhat" supporting this goal in 2010.

Score: 69/100

Source: Humane Research Council, Animal Tracker Survey

Method/Source:Using research provided by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, this indicator evaluates the existence of state felony-level laws relating to animal cruelty in four areas: abandonment, cruelty, neglect, and sexual abuse. Each state is given separate credit for establishing felonies in each of these areas, with a total of four “points” possible for each state. The goal is to have all 50 states with felony-level laws in each of the four areas. The score is calculated based on the number of state laws that are currently in place, as a proportion of the target of all states having felony-level laws in each of the four areas.

Discussion: It is critically important to have strict penalties in place for those who commit acts of animal cruelty. Having misdemeanor-level laws in place is better than having no laws at all, but the severity of animal cruelty warrants felony-level penalties. Research has also shown that animal cruelty is closely linked with violence towards humans, in particular domestic violence, which underscores the need to identify, punish, and rehabilitate those who commit cruel acts toward animals. For these reasons, the goal for this indicator is to have all 50 states with felony-level animal cruelty laws.

Because animal cruelty involves a wide variety of neglectful and intentionally harmful acts, the indicator focuses on four common areas of animal abuse. We are measuring the existence of any felony-level law that covers one of the four areas of animal cruelty, regardless of the penalty. In total, 47 states have a felony-level law in at least one of the four areas included in the indicator. The states with no felony-level animal cruelty laws include Idaho, New Jersey, and North Dakota.

Score: 32/100

Source: Animal Legal Defense Fund, Animal Protection Laws of the United States of America and Canada — Sixth Edition

Method/Source: Using research and individual ratings provided by the Humane Society Legislative Fund’s (HSLF) “Humane Scorecard” for both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, the target for this indicator is a combined rating of 100. The score is calculated using the combined average ratings for the most recent legislative session for both the House and Senate, as a proportion of the target rating.

Discussion: Support within the U.S. Congress is critical for the advancement of animal protection. According to the HSLF: “Many animal protection issues never receive a recorded vote in Congress. Some are enacted by voice vote, and some languish. To accurately measure legislators’ support, HSLF counts not just recorded votes, but also other meaningful ways that legislators can help issues advance, such as cosponsoring key bills and cosigning letters seeking increased enforcement of animal welfare laws.”

The current U.S. House score is based on votes for or against issues including animal “crush” videos, factory farming, marine turtles, puppy mills, exotic pets, horse slaughter, and the use of chimpanzees in research. The House score increased from 56 in the 110th Congress to 58 in the most recent 111th Congress. The current U.S. Senate score is based on votes for or against issues including puppy mills, horse slaughter, fur labeling, and the use of chimpanzees in research. The Senate score decreased from 49 in the 110th Congress to 35 in the 111th Congress.

Score: 47/100

Source: Humane Society Legislative Fund

Method/Source: Based on information compiled by the Animals and Society Institute regarding the number of animal-related programs at U.S. universities. The goal is for all universities to have at least one animal law program (if applicable) and at least one human-animal studies course. The score is calculated by taking a weighted average of the proportion of total laws schools and degree-granting universities that currently have relevant programs and courses.

Discussion: Attorneys and scholars that work on animal issues are important groups in the animal protection community. Increasing the availability of animal law programs in the U.S. will provide more opportunities for prospective attorneys to become involved in working for legal protections for animals. There are currently 199 law schools in the U.S., with 77 offering animal law courses or seminars.

Similarly, increasing the number of human-animal studies programs will provide more opportunities for students to learn about animal issues and identify ways to reduce animal suffering through scholarly research and education. There are currently 137 colleges and universities in the U.S. that offer human-animal studies courses. The Animals and Society Institute, along with other groups such as the Animal Legal Defense Fund, track and encourage the growth of such programs.

Score: 5/100

Sources: Animals & Society Institute

Total numbers of law schools and colleges were obtained from the American Bar Association and United States Department of Education, respectively.

Method/Source: Using research provided by the Humane Research Council’s Animal Tracker survey of U.S. adults, in which the question asks, “In the past three months, how often have you talked about or heard someone talking about animal protection, including animal rights and/or animal welfare?” The score is the current proportion of U.S. adults that “frequently” or “occasionally” talked or heard about animal protection, as a proportion of the target of 100%.

Discussion: The amount of public discourse and visibility an issue receives is indicative of its importance relative to other issues. Animal protection is arguably one of the most important social justice issues in history as it affects the lives of billions of individuals who are often facing extreme cruelty at the hands of humans. However, animal protection currently does not receive a commensurate level of discussion among the public or among U.S. policymakers and a goal of many animal advocates is to increase discussion of animal issues.

Using the level of discussion of animal issues as an indicator does not presume that all animal-related discourse is positive from the perspective of animal advocates. However, increasing concern for animals and public support for their protection requires more discussion of the ways in which animals are used and abused. Even when the discourse is anti-animal, the fact that the issue warrants discussion may be positive for animals. The proportion of U.S. adults who frequently or occasionally discussed or heard about animal issues was 43% in 2008 and increased to 52% in 2009, the most recent year for which data are available.

Score: 52/100

Source: Humane Research Council, Animal Tracker Survey