All animals are protected under Florida law?
February 21st, 2007 by admin
Everyone knows that dogs and cats are protected from cruel treatment under Florida’s anti-cruelty statute. But two recent news stories highlighted the sometimes confusing mix of legal protections for other animals in Florida.
In a terrible incident in Naples a restaurant cook violently beat an armadillo with a broomstick. NBC-2 (Fort Myers) incorrectly reported that armadillos aren’t protected from cruelty under Florida law. ARFF promptly contacted the news reporter, as well as the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, reminding them that wild animals are indeed protected from cruelty and inhumane killing.
Sadly, legal protections are much weaker for farmed animals in Florida. In the town of Jay (north of Pensacola), the bodies of seven animals were discovered a couple weeks ago under a bridge. They appeared to have been shot in the head. What makes this incident notable is what crime the sheriff’s office thinks was committed: “illegal dumping.” See, the animals were pigs and as a sergeant with the Sheriff’s Office explained, “Killing a domestic pig is not necessarily a crime.” In fact, shooting a pig in the head with a firearm is considered a “humane method” under Florida’s Humane Slaughter Act.