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

For Immediate Release:
24 September 2009

Contact:
Sam Glover 020 7357 9229, ext 229; [email protected]

Fife – The PETA Foundation – a charity committed to helping end animal suffering and providing children with tools to make compassionate choices – is sending free emergency humane-education materials to schools in the Glenrothes area of Fife today. The mailing comes on the heels of an act of cruelty to an animal in the area. According to a news report, four puppies were found dead on Thursday, 17 September, on a grass verge between Markinch and Star. The puppies died after they were thrown out of a car in a bag. The report said that the dogs died from exposure, which means they were probably alive when they were dumped.

The PETA Foundation’s mailing points out that research in criminology and psychology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals rarely stop there – many of them go on to harm humans.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has found that a history of cruelty to animals  regularly appears in the records of serial rapists and murderers. Child-killers Mary Bell, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables and multiple-victim killers Ian Huntley, Thomas Hamilton (Dunblane massacre), Fred West, Denis Nilsen, Ian Brady and Jeffrey Dahmer all started out by deliberately harming animals.

“We want to prevent future acts of cruelty such as this”, explains PETA Foundation Manager Suzanne Barnard. “Instilling empathy in children and teaching them to take responsibility for any animals in their care is vital. After all, society as a whole pays the price when cruel or violent tendencies escalate.”

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

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