Using Facebook to Catch Illegal Activities Against Animals

Straight out of the “what were they thinking” file comes the most recent account of people being arrested for sharing evidence of illegal activities on Facebook. Two people in Florida were arrested after posting photos of themselves with a poached deer on the popular social networking site.

After receiving a tip about the photos, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) investigated the information, leading to the arrest of William Buchanan and Tara Carver. While both accept responsibility for skinning the deer, neither one will admit to killing the animal. Buchanan denies being present for the killing and Carver blames Buchanan.

Until FWC officers can determine responsibility for shooting the deer, Buchanan and Carver will be charged with possessing illegally harvested wildlife, a second-degree misdemeanor.

Stories like this one are not new in the ever-connected digital world we live in. Earlier this year, Stephanie Feldstein wrote about the numerous Facebook groups networking people through animal cruelty. Laws against animal cruelty are not only about protecting animals, but also may be important in establishing the link between acts of animal cruelty and human cruelty, including domestic violence and child abuse.

Many of these crimes would never have been discovered if the evidence wasn’t shared with the virtual world. Back in April, reports revealed two college students at UC-Davis published video of themselves torturing hamsters on Facebook. Henry Nguyen and Josue Melendez bought two hamsters on separate occasions with the intent to torture by hitting and setting them on fire in their dorm room. One hamster died as a result of being burned alive. The second hamster survived the injuries and was treated. Animal cruelty is classified as a felony in California and the criminal complaint against Nguyen and Melendez cited four counts of felony actions.

Another recent and shocking video from Facebook showed a teenager using a meat cleaver to lacerate an opossum to death. The California resident has been identified as Carter Livingston and is being charged with animal cruelty.

Unfortunately these incidents are not rare. Many other articles on Change.org address these topics, including Teenage Girl Drowns Puppies, Captivates The World and Why Are We So Fascinated With the Cat Bin Lady? American Humane Association provides resources to assist internet users on how to report acts of animal cruelty.

It is amazing the audacity shown by these animal abusers to not only engage in acts of violence against animals but to have the egotistical need to share their acts with the world. If torturing animals can be considered entertainment, count me out.

Photo by kretyen