MNN - Mother Nature Network

Animal cruelty happens every day and most often goes unnoticed. Occasionally, it is captured on camera and sparks a group upset. Documentation of such events is both a tragedy and a blessing. A tragedy in the sense that an animal is being harmed, but a blessing because it brings a serious problem to the public's attention.

 

A video recently surfaced of an alleged incident of animal cruelty. This 44-second clip is enough to make most people beside themselves with rage, tears or disgust. A woman who appears to be in her late teens or early twenties throws approximately one-month-old puppies into a river, and sickeningly, she seems to enjoy it.

 

The video was originally posted on a Bosnian YouTube account, but was taken down. Members of 4chan were able to track down the owners of the account, according to PETA, and the video has later been made available elsewhere.

 

The NY Daily News appropriately describes the young woman as a "teenage Cruella De Vil." At one point during the video, the woman distinctly cries "wee" as she carelessly tosses one of the puppies into the river.

 

A surge of outrage spread through animal lovers all around the world who had seen or heard about the video. PETA offered up to $2,000 for "information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible." A number of Facebook groups were created to bring attention to the video, one of the most amusing shrewdly titled "The Death Penalty to the Girl That Throws Puppy Living in the Water." PopEater even reported that Michael Bay, the director of "Transformers," was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the woman's arrest.

 

On September 3, the Associated Press reported that the Bosnian police believed they have found the woman. In light of new Bosnian animal cruelty laws, the woman will face up to $6,400 in fines.

 

As a journalism student, I am taught to report the facts and avoid bias. However, in this particular circumstance, I find it extremely challenging to avoid expressing my own personal thoughts about this video and the more general issue that it represents.

 

I do not agree that a $6,400 fine is a suitable punishment for this woman's truly disgusting act. To avoid any unpleasant responses from readers or another authority, I will simply state that I think this woman deserves a much harsher fate. She is a disgrace to the human race.

 

What must be learned from this video is that the behavior of this woman is just a one example of animal related crimes being committed all over the world: for fashion, for food, for entertainment and sometimes for no reason at all.

 

There is no excuse for animal cruelty and it is our duty as environmentalists to stand up to such unforgivable acts.