There is no single profile of an animal sex offender. They are volunteers and professionals, college-educated and high school dropouts, young and old, men and women, racially diverse.

Some are sexually attracted only to animals, some have human partners who may also participate, some are primarily interested in children or adolescents.  A few of them are violent and are more interested in rape and torture than sex.     

Getting it Right - Prosecution of an Animal  Sex Abuser in Virginia -- Investigating and prosecuting a bestiality case can be a challenge, but it doesn't have to be.  The biggest challenge is that's seldom a witness, and people are often hesitant to report it even if they have seen someone sexually abusing an animal because it's embarrassing, or even unbelievable.  Most of your case will be based on circumstantial evidence, but in cases where you can obtain DNA, your veterinary expert may never had tested for human semen before.    

THIS CASE IS A STELLAR EXAMPLE:  Recently in Virginia, a registered sex offender sexually assaulted an animal, resulting in injury to the animal.  It's a classic case of how to do it right - the arresting officer believed the owners when they reported sexual abuse of their dog; the veterinarian correctly diagnosed that the animal had been sexually assulated and collected DNA.  The dog's owners developed local support,  the who kept the case alive; the defense attorrney understood the seriousness of teh accusations against his client;, the prosecuting attorney took the case seriously and convinced the jury that a maximum punishment was appropriate.