How does your state fare in animal protection laws?

Recently, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, a national organization that fights to enforce anti-cruelty laws and protect the lives of animals, released its annual report ranking the animal protection laws in each state. ALDF ranked each jurisdiction (all U.S. states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands) into a top, middle or bottom tier - as well as a list of the five worst and best states.

The five best states include Illinois, Oregon, Maine, Michigan and California. These states topped the list because they have felony penalties for cruelty and neglect and a full range of statutory protections; mandatory seizure of mistreated animals; mandatory reporting of animal cruelty by veterinarians; increased penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders and animal abusers; and pre-sentence mental health evaluations, among other factors.

On the flip side, the worst five states were Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, and North Dakota. These states fell to the bottom for a number of reasons, including a lack of provisions for animal cruelty/neglect/abandonment; inadequate animal fighting provisions; no laws requiring the reporting of suspected animal abuse; and no increased penalties for repeat offenders, among others.

Stephan Otto, ALDF's director of legislative affairs and author of the report noted that "while animals certainly do not vote, those who love and care about them do, so we encourage lawmakers throughout the country to take heed and commit to working to improve these critical laws."

Click here to view the report and map.