USA TODAY
By: Mandy Sleight & Kara McGinley
Published: Jan 10, 2024

Animal abuse statistics and facts at a glance

Sadly, it’s estimated that approximately one animal faces abuse every minute somewhere in the U.S. Below, you’ll find more disheartening animal abuse facts and statistics.

An estimated 10 million animals die from abuse or cruelty every year in the United States.¹

About 250,000 animals annually are found to be victims of animal hoarding, with most living in unsanitary conditions.²

Nearly 400,000 dogs that enter shelters across the country are euthanized annually.³

Around 75% of exotic lizards, snakes, turtles and tortoises taken from the wild die in captivity within their first year of becoming someone’s pet.⁴

An estimated 10,000 puppy mills exist in the country, with Missouri — for the 11th consecutive year — having the most and highest number of abusive mills.⁵

Over 110 million animals are killed in U.S. laboratories each year.⁶

Roughly 85% of people arrested for animal abuse or cruelty have had multiple past arrests, with 70% having prior felonies.⁷

Around 70% of people who committed domestic violence were also found to be animal abusers.⁸

When comparing animal cruelty charges among adults, men outnumber women by 4 to 1 in almost all abuse types.⁹

How many animals are abused each year?

We’ll never know exactly how many animals get abused each year because not all cruelty cases get reported. However, here are some facts that we do know:

Globally, at least one animal is abused every 60 seconds.³

Close to 10 million animals die from abuse or cruelty annually in the United States.¹

Laboratories across the country abuse and kill over 110 million animals each year for experiments, including chemical, cosmetic, food and drug testing.⁶

Lack of food, water and shelter, too tight collar, matting, open sores, mange and signs of starvation are clear signs that an animal is being neglected.

How many animals die from animal abuse?

It’s estimated that 10 million animals die from abuse each year in the United States alone.¹ That includes companion animals, farm animals, wild animals and animal testing victims. This staggering fact means that less than 0.01% of cases of animal abuse are reported annually, making it difficult to get an exact estimation of how many animals die from abuse.³

Animal abuse by state

Anti-cruelty laws can vary by state, and even by city or county within the same state. So can the legal definition of what’s considered appropriate living conditions, abuse and neglect.

Thankfully, every state has felony provisions within its animal cruelty laws. All states, except Iowa, issue felony-level penalties for the first offense of animal torture.

Here are the top five best and worst states for animal protection laws.