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M Jenny Edwards © 2018
WHAT IS BESTIALITY?
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE?
WHO DOES IT?
ABOUT 5% OF THE POPULATION
There is no single profile that fits all animal sex offenders, just as there is no single profile that fits all human sex offenders.
While the majority of offenders are white, middle-aged men, the number of women and couples has risen in recent years, and cases have been reported worldwide, so ethnicity, race, gender, and even primary sexual preference can vary.
Bestiality has been linked to a number of other criminal acts such as pedophilia, making and distribution of extreme pornography, and aggravated cruelty toward humans and animals.
On this site, you'll find cases grouped by primary behaviors. New cases and updates can be found on our Facebook page.
ARTICLES, RESEARCH, and TRAINING
Bestiality is a topic that generally provokes a strong reaction, whether its disgust, derision, or discussion.
Although reports of bestiality may seem to be rare, it actually happens far more often than you think, and is likely happening someplace in the world right now.
Based on proprietary research, the number of arrests for bestiality has risen by more than 600% in the past seven years.
In the NEWS & EVENTS, you'll find links to academic publications, research papers and articles, and commentary on current issues.
Specialized TRAINING is available for enforcement officers,veterinarians, social workers, and legal professionals.
THE BEST KEPT CRIMINAL SECRET
Bestiality (sometimes incorrectly referred to as zoophilia) is the intentional sexual conduct or contact between a human and an animal. Penetration may or may not occur. Semen emission may or may not occur. Physical injury may or may not occur. What's important is the sexual motivation or intent of the human toward the animal and how the act is defined by the jurisdiction in which it occurs.
Scott Heiser, an attorney with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, says the lack of bestiality laws in states without them is due more to a lack of awareness than a lack of desire.
Bestiality is specifically illegal in most US states; please check for current laws in your jurisdiction.
TOP STORY
Plea Deal for Sex with Baby Calves
SOUTH DAKOTA - January 10, 2019
In July 2017, James Schumacher, 56 was arrested at a South Dakota farm after being caught having sex with a 4-week-old baby calf on multiple occasions. This was the second besitliaty arrest for Schumacher, who had sex with another calf in 2016. Schumacher was charged with six counts of bestiality, but in February 2018, Schumacher argued the charges were unconstitutional because an animal is considered personal property in South Dakota and having sex with animals was his 14th Amendment right to intimacy. The Judge dismissed that argument, saying the cases cited in Schumacher's motion related to sex acts or marriage between same-gender partners, and then allowed Schumacher to plead to two counts of bestiality, dismissing the other four.
In South Dakota, bestiality is a felony punishable to a maximum of two years in prison and a $4,000 fine (per count). Schumacher ultimately received 60 days in jail, and placed on probation for five years. He was ordered to undergo a psychosexual evaluation (at a cost to him of $2,100), and pay $726 as restitution for veterinary bills and $808 in fines and court costs. Schumacher's attorney said his client has had trouble finding work. Meanwhile, the owner of the sexually abused cows now says she feels unsafe in her own home.
This case is important on several levels. First because barely half of the U.S. states consider bestiality a felony crime - despite the fact that it often involves trespass, injury, and rape. Second, it establishes that even in a state where animals are still considered property, sexual abuse of that property is not allowed. Third, barely 29% of all animal sex abusers are convicted, with about half of them spending a year or less in jail.
There are still five U.S. states without laws prohibiting a person from having sex with an animal: Hawaii, Kentucky, Montana, West Virginia, and Wyoming. For the third time, a bill has been introduced in Kentucky that would make bestiality illegal in that state. We applaud South Dakota for enforcing its strict laws, and Kentucky for taking steps to demonstrate they take sexual abuse of animals seriously.
Another conviction upheld
VIRGINIA - January 15, 2019
In 2017 Arthur Anderson Warren filmed his girlfriend, Kelly Hardy, having sex with her dog. Under a plea agreement, Hardy pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of animal cruelty, and Warren was sentenced to four years with three years and 10 months suspended. Warren appealed his conviction on the basis that the Virginia law prohibiting bestiality was unconstitutional saying the videos merely showed "private sexual conduct of consenting adults". On January 15, the Virginia Court of Appeals upheld Warren's conviction, finding that there is no fundamental right to have sex with an animal. In addition, the court ruled that the Virginia General Assembly has a legitimate right to prevent animal cruelty as well as the spread of disease, and for that reason the law prohibiting bestiality is not unconstitutional.