As increasingly radical degrees of animal rights activism evolve within the media, new and demanding ideas become shockingly prevalent in American legislature: more specifically, in Tampa F.L. During September 2016, this city declared the oncoming arrival of a controversial law that would publicly convict and identify animal abusers in a similar fashion to that of local sex offenders. More specifically, The Washington Post reports that Tampa has created a registry that logs the name of animal abusers along with their photos and addresses, all which are “publicly searchable” and “similar to online offender registries that have proliferated since the 1990’s.”

While this is undoubtedly a progressive advancement in the fight for inter-species respect, one must ask, where exactly is the line drawn between animal abuse and domestic normalcy? The SPCA Tampa Bay Organization recently posted an online advertisement urging readers to “report suspected dog or cat cruelty,” claiming that “every animal has the right to be treated with compassion.” Ironically, despite the organizations obvious attempt to defer animal cruelty, they fail to give realistic examples of what animal abuse actually is.

When we think of animal abuse similar images may filter through our consciousness. Picture perhaps, a malnourished mutt sitting outside in the rain, chained up to a fence with no food or clean water. This, of course, is widely labeled and accepted as textbook animal abuse. Is this the total extent of the term animal abuse? If not, we must first assign meaning to several variables within the realm of animal abuse, including species inclusion and what is considered “acceptable” abuse.

To what species does the title “animal abuse” apply? Without thought, we would assume this only applies to domestic animals, primarily dogs and cats. This is not only close-minded but also unintellectual, as we often forget about other animals that suffer much more than the commonplace domesticated species.

For example: livestock. Animals like dairy cows and pigs face hauntingly abusive realities, so why don’t we advocate for their rights against animal abuse? Here’s why: these animals are desensitized within the human mind because we view them as a food source. In reality, farm animals show astonishing correlation to the minds and personalities of our beloved household pets. PETA reports that “pigs outperform 3-year-old human children on cognition test and are smarter than any domestic animal…and more trainable than cats or dogs.” Given this information, protection against “animal abuse” should be extended to protect the lives and comfort of all animals, including livestock.

When considering the intelligence of livestock animals in comparison to household animals, a new topic arises: in terms of the agricultural industry, what is considered “acceptable” in terms of the abuse these animals face? Ask any vegan or vegetarian person why they chose to change their lifestyle. They, like myself, might say that once they witnessed the deplorable conditions of slaughterhouses via documentaries like “Earthlings,” they felt obligated to contribute to the effort against agricultural animal abuse.

Now, we all know that the whole world won’t go vegan, so ponder this: what do we, as a society, accept as appropriate animal abuse and why do we feel justified to compare domestic animal abusers to sex offenders when we, ourselves, contribute to the abuse of animals everyday through our diet? Of course, people who intentionally abuse domesticated animals are demented and should face legal repercussions, but how is what they’re doing different from the devastating effects of modern livestock farming?

In closing, I leave you with this: it is essential that we, as humans, broaden our mental capacity when considering the implications of controversial topics such as this. Before radically condemning the actions of others, such as domestic animal abusers, reflect on your personal lifestyle. If we think with open minds and eagerness for improvement, then difficult issues like the prosecution of abusers and safety of animals will soon be eradicated.