NEW YORK: If someone is going to abuse animals, a New York county government body said on Tuesday, they better face the consequences. In Long Island, New York, Suffolk County unanimously approved the United States's first bill that creates an animal abuser registry. Animal rights advocates praised the move, saying it will help stem the growing tide of animal abuse afflicting the country and region. According to the bill, citizens will be able to search a database of those individuals living in Suffolk County over 18-years-old who have been convicted of inhumane treatment of animals. If it sounds familiar, it is. It is a similar database employed to list and categorize sex offenders. The bill now means that any convicted animal abuser that lives in the country will be required to register their names, aliases, addresses and submit a photograph of themselves at the registry within five days after their conviction or release from jail. “I think it is the right move and something that I hope the entire state and country will begin to take seriously from now on,” began Jennifer Steadman, a New York City resident and animal rights advocate. She told Bikya Masr that it was overdue for a bill of this kind to be passed and was “proud” that it occurred in New York. “We see a lot of animal abuse in this state and across the country, but even when people are convicted and imprisoned, when they get out people don't know. It is about time,” she said. The law, surprisingly, will pay for itself. Each convicted offender will be forced to pay $50 annually as part of maintaining the registry and their name will be kept on file for at least five years from the most recent conviction. A failure to comply with the law will result in up to one-year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine, the county said. “This bill will provide the ammunition needed to fight the ongoing war against animal abusers,” Suffolk County SPCA Chief Roy Gross told reporters after the bill passed. The bill's approval came on the same day the SPCA offered a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of people who threw two kittens out of a moving car on the Southern State Parkway last week, killing both cats. “Animal abuser registries are practical crime-reducing and cost-savings tools which, owing to the strong correlation between those who abuse animals and those who are violent towards humans, benefit communities by helping to reduce the risk of new animal and human victims at the hands of repeat offenders,” said Stephan Otto, attorney and legislative affairs director for the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) in comments published in the Long Island Press. The ALDF was the first animal rights organization to introduce to idea of an animal abuser registry 10 years ago. BM
