Zoosadism

Ernest Bornemann (1990, cited by Rosenbauer 1997) coined the term zoosadism for those who derive pleasure from inflicting pain on an animal, sometimes with a sexual component. Some extreme examples of zoosadism include necrozoophilia, the sexual enjoyment of killing animals, similar to "lust murder" in humans, sexual penetration of birds such as hens (which is fatal in itself) and strangling at orgasm, mutilation, sexual assault with objects (including screwdrivers and knives), interspecies rape, and sexual assault on immature animals such as puppies.

Research

Certainly some horse-ripping incidences have a sexual connotation (Schedel-Stupperich, 2001). The link between sadistic sexual acts with animals and sadistic practices with humans or lust murders has been heavily researched. Some murderers tortured animals in their childhood, with some of them also practicing bestiality. Ressler et al. (1988) found that 36% of sexual murderers described themselves as having abused animals during childhood, with 46% of them reporting that they had abused animals during adolescence, and (1986) that 8 of their sample of 36 sexual murderers showed an interest in zoosexual acts.

In 1971, American researchers profiled the typical animal harmer as being a nine-and-a-half-year-old boy, with an IQ of 91 and a history of gross parental abuse. The UK "Young Abusers Project" sees children as young as five who have a record of sexual offences or 'extremely' violent behaviour. Of such people, they comment:

"They stamp on small hamsters or mice. Squeeze them or burst them, set fire to their fur. Gratuitous cruelty for which there can be no justification. ... A high proportion have a learning disability."

The author comments that it is this combination of extreme "cruelty to animals, if also accompanied by a sexual interest in animals, [which] is a high-risk indicator of a future sex offender." [1]

Studies have shown that individuals willing to inflict harm on animals are more likely to do so to humans. One of the known warning signs of certain psychopathologies, including anti-social personality disorder, also known as psychopathic personality disorder, is a history of torturing pets and small animals. According to the New York Times, "the FBI has found that a history of cruelty to animals is one of the traits that regularly appears in its computer records of serial rapists and murderers, and the standard diagnostic and treatment manual for psychiatric and emotional disorders lists cruelty to animals as a diagnostic criterion for conduct disorders." [2] "A survey of psychiatric patients who had repeatedly tortured dogs and cats found all of them had high levels of aggression toward people as well." [3]

Modern research findings

Kidd and Kidd (1987) identified that "most of these older research and models rarely took the variety of possible interactions and relations into account, studying the physical acts in isolation."

Research has often focussed on known abusers, such as violent juvenile offenders, and such studies were often criticized post-publication as being tainted by circular reasoning, arguments from incredulity, and other fallacies. Andrea M. Beetz, in her book on sex and violence with animals (2002) comments that perhaps because of this: "in most [popular] references to bestiality, violence towards the animal is automatically implied. That sexual approaches to animals may not need force or violence but rather, sensitivity, or knowledge of animal behavior, is rarely taken into consideration."

Sexology information sites (if sufficiently detailed) are usually careful to distinguish zoosadism from zoophilia: Humboldt Berlin University Sexology Dept (list of paraphilias) sex-lexis.com and sexualcounselling.com.

Signs of abuse

File:Zoosadism questionnaire.png

'Forensic Nurse's animal abuse diagnostic questionnaire (click for readable version)

Signs of pet abuse include:

• Unusually frightened, fearful or subdued
• Fractures
• [[[Bruising]]
• Eye injuries
• Scalds and burns
• Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy (MSP)
• Signs of malnutrition
• Significant matting or other poor grooming indicators
• Ignored health problems
• Injury history incompatible with injury or owner refuses to comment on how injury occurred
• Owner shows lack of concern for animal’s injuries

Adapted by Forensic Nursing from: Munro The Battered Pet (1999)

Zoosadists

• John Travers
• Henry Lee Lucas

References

• Ressler R, Burgess A, and Douglas J. (1988). Sexual Homicide: Patterns and Motives. Lexington, Mass: Lexington Books.
• Andrea Beetz Ph.D.: Love, Violence, and Sexuality in Relationships between Humans and Animals, ISBN 3832200207
• Bradley J Hill : Homoerotic bestiality: a guide. ISBM 3832200569
• Forensic Nursing: Four-legged Forensics: What Forensic Nurses Need to Know and Do About Animal Cruelty online version
• Munro H. The battered pet (1999) In F. Ascione & P. Arkow (Eds.) Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Animal Abuse. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 199-208.

See also

• Avisodomy
• Horse-ripping
• Zoophilia
• Animal abuse

External links

• Four-legged Forensics: What Forensic Nurses Need to Know and Do About Animal Cruelty
• National Association for Biomedical Research - Animal law section (wide variety of material related to animal law, aniumal abuse and welfare, etc.
• Pet-Abuse.Com Database Bestiality and sexual assault cases from the U.S. and UK
• sex-lexis reference sections on zoophilia, zoosadism and related topics
• TheLocal.se article on Swedish government's report on sex with animals 2005