Each day, animals worldwide are mistreated, neglected, or forced to struggle for survival . Left in unsanitary conditions with neither food nor water, they have little hope as they live without the compassion and care they deserve. Some lucky animals are found and rescued and given the chance to experience how great life and humans can be; others aren't so fortunate. To grow as a nation, we must fight for these animals' rights and dish out rightful punishments to cruel owners. It is up to us to speak for these voiceless creatures, for who will if we don't?

      So what is animal cruelty exactly? Well, animal cruelty is to inflict harm upon animals, other than human beings, for reasons other than self-protection. To put it in a simpler way, it means cruel, unreasonable treatment towards animals. Animal cruelty is divided into 2 categories:-

1. Passive Cruelty

      Passive cruelty is where the crime is a lack of action rather than the action itself. Passive cruelty might not seem serious, but that is not the case; it can cause extreme pain and suffering, and even death. Examples include lack of food and water, inadequate shelter in unfavorable weather conditions, and failure to get medical care. Passive cruelty is sometimes due to the owner's ignorance, so many animal control officers will try to teach neglectful owners to properly care for animals before giving them a citation or even arresting them.

2. Active Cruelty

      Active cruelty, on the other hand, means malicious intent, where a person has intentionally caused harm to an animal. Sometimes referred to as non-accidental injury(NAI), these acts of intentional cruelty are often some of the most disturbing and should be considered signs of serious psychological problem. Such behavior is commonly associated with sociopathic behavior and should not be taken lightly, since the person may commit more acts of violence – possibly against humans.