Emergency Humane-Education Packs Rushed To Schools In Wake Of Animal Abuse Case

For Immediate Release:
13 January 2011

Contact:
Sandra Smiley +44 (0)20 7357 9229, ext 229; [email protected]

Letterkenny, Co Donegal – After hearing about a gruesome attack on a small puppy by local children, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Foundation (PETA) has sent humane-education materials to all schools in Letterkenny. According to news reports, three children – one as young as 5 years old – laughed and cheered as they kicked a puppy to death in a Letterkenny housing estate. The children were seen kicking the puppy and jumping on the animal’s head. PETA, a charity committed to helping end animal suffering and providing children with tools to make compassionate choices, points out that research in criminology and psychology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals rarely stop there – many go on to harm humans.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has found that a history of cruelty to animals is one of the traits that regularly appear in the records of serial rapists and murderers. Child killers Mary Bell, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables and serial murderers Ian Huntley, Thomas Hamilton (Dunblane massacre), Fred West, Dennis Nilsen, Ian Brady and Jeffrey Dahmer all started on their violent paths by deliberately harming animals.

“Animal abuse should never be overlooked in children”, explains PETA Education Manager Suzanne Barnard. “Putting a stop to violent tendencies as soon as they become apparent should be a priority and the responsibility of all of society. After all, the whole of society pays the price when these violent tendencies escalate.”

PETA’s educational materials are designed to help children of all ages recognise the importance of compassion and empathy for all beings.

For more information about the link between cruelty to animals and violence towards humans or to order a free education pack, please visit PETA.org.uk.