rape by any other name...

[sharon tupper]

i read an alarming article the other day that appalled and sickened me – well, let’s face it, there are many things that appal and sicken me about human treatment of animals – but this is disturbing on so many levels, its prevalence frightening…

"Bestiality brothels spur call for animal sex ban

 

Animal sex abuse is on the rise in Germany, with bestiality brothels being set up across the country, according to a state animal protection officer demanding stronger laws to protect mankind's furry and feathered friends.

 

Madeleine Martin, the animal protection official for Hessian state government, said the law needed to be changed to make sex abuse of animals – known as zoophilia – a crime.

 

“It is punishable to distribute animal pornography, but the act itself is not,” she told the Frankfurter Rundschau daily paper on Friday.

 

“There are even animal brothels in Germany,” she said. Sex with animals was being increasingly seen as a lifestyle choice, and thus more acceptable.

 

“The abuse seems to be increasingly rapidly, and the internet offers an additional distribution platform,” she said.

 

She said the justice authorities had found it exceptionally difficult to convict a man from Hesse, who had offered pictures and instructions for animal sex abuse over the internet.

 

“Zoophilia must be completely banned in the reformed animal protection law,” said Martin, referring to the governments plan to rework that section of the law.

 

Sex with animals was banned until 1969, when the animal protection law was introduced, but failed to include a specific ban on zoophilia, the Frankfurter Rundschau said.

 

Martin said the current legal situation makes it too difficult for authorities to intervene – an animal has to be shown to have massive injuries before the animal protection laws prescribe action."... read more at the local, germany’s english language newspaper…

 

lifestyle choice? There is no possibility of consensuality here - it’s only a fucking choice for the human scum – there’s no choice for the voiceless animals… rape is rape…

 

according to deb doxbury from bella online: the voice of women:

“Intercourse with animals is becoming an expansive legal trade throughout European subcultures. The rationalization for the existence of these brothels is that it is a "lifestyle choice," while blindly overlooking evidence that this service is a prime breeding ground for predators. Though acts of bestiality are evident around the world, Europe is unique in the fact that select countries choose to profit from this malevolent behavior.

 

European bestiality brothels state that it is illegal to harm an animal while engaging in intercourse. What these facilities fail to point out is that forcing sex on an animal is an act of unwanted aggression and is therefore harmful in nature. Female animals are oftentimes sedated, some are bound, and many experience physical complications from being exposed to repeated acts. Most of the animal kingdom view sexual encounters within their own species as a means to a procreative end and do not spend time consumed by intercourse outside of heat cycles. Therefore, not only are people physically harming these animals, they are also violating the animals’ understanding of their natural life-cycle process….”

this horror is by no means confined to europe...

"Douglas Spink Arrested in BESTIALITY Case : Mice in Vaseline, Dogs, Horses Found at Exitpoint Stallions Limitee" convicted cocaine smuggler has been arrested for running what authorities say appears to be a bestiality farm in Washington state in which visitors could engage in all sorts of twisted sex acts with animals.

Douglas Spink was arrested at his ramshackle, heavily wooded compound near the Canadian border in Whatcom County along with a 51-year-old tourist from Great Britain who is accused of having sex with three dogs." read more at huffington post

even when prosecution happens, there is no justice for the animals, the fuckers get leniency...

 "On April 14, 2010, Spink’s ramshackle farm was raided and Stephen Clarke was arrested for having sex with dogs.  The evidence against Clarke was pretty compelling and Clarke pled guilty on May 11.  Now that we have a law making bestiality a Class-C Felony in the State of Washington, the judge could have sentenced Clarke to five years in prison and imposed a $10,000 fine.

Instead, Clarke was sentenced to 30 days in jail (most of which has already been served) and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine to the Whatcom Humane Society, who has custody of the dogs as well as several horses removed from the property.  It is estimated that the humane society has incurred something close to $10,000 by now taking care of all Spink’s animals, except, of course, for the string-wrapped, vaseline-coated mice that had to be euthanized....

...we find it outrageous that all of these criminals - these men who cruelly abuse animals - these men who have sex outside their species with animals that cannot speak for themselves - we find it outrageous that they are still getting off with tiny little slaps on the wrist.  $300 here, $1000 there, and a few days of jail thrown in ... It took Washington 121 years to decide that bestiality was a form of animal cruelty, but a Class C felony is the same charge given for Internet gambling.  What???" ... from hope for horses

 

 

 

then there're the horrors perpetrated against the likes of luna, the dog brutally raped and murdered in simcan, turkey in march, 2011... and pony, the orangutan used terribly as a 'prostitute' in borneo... you can read their stories on the animal rape and animal brothel page of pia berrands' site...

if you think it doesn't happen in your country, you may need to think again... since childhood, i remember growing up with a 'running joke' about farmers and their sheep, which brings a smirk to far too many peoples lips, the implications and inference - the abuse of animals, the RAPE of sheep - never dwelt on... no doubt this 'joke' has its basis in a reality we need to believe is merely someone's sick fantasy... 


and here it is, happening now (still?!) in australia - only recently, january 2012, candice keller reported "middle-aged south australian trio admit bestiality offence", and this from queensland in september 2011 "man to be charged with importing bestiality material..."... bestiality is illegal here but that illegality doesn't stop the abuse - animals are expendable commodities in this society so how can we ever know exactly how widespread it is...

 

and then there are the sociopaths (and we certainly will never know how many there are worldwide!!)... it is a widely held view that animal torture is the starting point for predators to perfect their later crimes against their own species - this is supported by psychologist andrea beetz in "bestiality and zoophilia: associations with violence and sex offending", and this hansard entry of the nsw parliament "animal abuse and sociopathy link"... and where pornography involving animal abuse is found, it appears you will also find child pornography - take the abc report "man charged over child torture, bestiality pictures" from january this year... or the report from may 2011 "northern man admits bestiality offences"...

and what of the brutalized animals? this from hope for horses...

"It takes thousands and thousands of dollars, and months or years (if it’s even possible) to rehabilitate animals who have been sexually abused ... These people are sex offenders, and should be treated as such.  Although many of them will tell you that they “love” their animals, that they think of them as “family,” that they have a “relationship” with them, having sex with one’s animal is no different from having sex with one’s child - presumably who is also entitled to a loving relationship as part of a family."

i am appalled at the arrogance of these humans, ashamed that my species is capable of imagining, let alone perpetrating, this cruel abuse, and i weep for the countless numbers (millions? billions?!!) of voiceless victims worldwide who have been, are, and will be, subjected to unimaginable horrors only the human species is capable of...

 

[conce nunes]

I really don't think going vegan is enough...HOW LONG WILL it take? I myself am only NOW making that change from vegetarian...when I look around daily and see the SENSELESS ABUSE that goes on and on in every way around me...how long would it take (if possible at all) for the whole planet to go vegan? THOUSANDS OF YEARS? And meanwhile the death and suffering and horror goes on daily...I think "we" (the world) really need DIRECT activism even as far as information is concerned...but in "my " (I don't "have" any much less Portugal...) country even people that "supposedly" are "in favor" of animal rights (which most don't even know what that means...except saving dogs and cats which I also do...), for example, one group was exchanging meat dishes sauces on their facegroup (and I flipped!) another had a "mac donald's ad" in his and calls himself "animal rescuer"!!!!!!! These people when I write raving at them just call me mad...I WANT TO ACT as much as possible in my own life time.

[sharon tupper]

he is rather awesome isn't he - i went vegetarian at 21 - 36 years ago - but if he had have been around then i would have gone straight to veganism! sadly it took another 33 years to cross the threshold of vegetarianism to veganism - i've been vegan for 3 years now but have only recently discovered gary...

[Natalia]

Yes, he's awesome, I keep reposting that talk in FB hoping people will end up watching at some point, I did go from being vegetarian to vegan thanks to him :)

[sharon tupper]

i certainly have the greatest admiration for the direct action activists within the animal liberation front conce... natalia, the documentary "the superior human?" explores where the 'human superiority complex' came from - it's brilliant if you haven't already seen it... sadly the human species is adept at brutality to the max - we need to change societal attitudes and enlighten people to the atrocities committed as well as taking direct action... of course, a big step in towards change is by going vegan - gary yourofsky has been a direct action activist for a long time now and his university lecture is another worthwhile viewing...

[Natalia]

every day I learn new things about the human race that make me die a little inside :(

I'ts amazing they consider themselves superior to animals.

[conce nunes]

It is even worse than being a child who depending on it's age may tell and seek help or be seen at school showing signs of abuse...the animals are TRAPPED and cannot call the police or go to court themselves...it is really HORRIBLE.I personally have NO COMPASSION for monsters that do this kind of actions...and I think whoever knows about these "happennings" should do whathever is necessary to save these animals' even at the "expense" of having to physically engage in a fight or whathever...the same I think of dogs fights...INVADE AND RESCUE!

[sharon tupper]

thank you so very much for your wise words Kerry - you articulated so wonderfully the thoughts that went through my mind when reading roger yates' comment but was unable to explain... i have recently become aware of these so-called 'crush' movies too and was appalled... i was saddened that womyn are part of this brutality, but then remembered Mary Daly's mention of 'MAD' - Male Acceptance Desire (in her book 'Gyn/Ecology' I think - it was decades ago I read it now!) - and 'understand' (not the right word, but will have to do for the moment) to a point their 'participation' in this brutality in order to be 'accepted' by these fuckers in this misogynistic, patriarchal world... animal liberation and womyn's liberation are inextricably linked...

[Kerry Baker]

With respect, I'm taking a guess here Roger and assuming you may not have experienced rape.  I doubt very much that it is as simple as 'a few guys sticking their dicks into them'.  This is fetishism, and I suspect that having a dick stuck into them is the least of what goes on.  There are for example in the porn trade a type of movie known I believe as 'crush' movies.  For example this may involve a woman in stiletto heels and a kitten.  Usually produced in Asia.  I agree that vivisection etc has its own horrors, but there is a disturbing element in sexual abuse of animals that goes beyond what society considers for some public good.  There are no assumed benefits here, just some sicko getting his or her jollies abusing an animal that is effectively enslaved.  It may be a chicken, cat or other small animal that will suffer excruciating pain when abused this way.  Female animals in the wild usually have some say in which male mates with her, she selects the one that has the best genetic pool.  So, with every recognition that animals suffer other horrendous tortures by human hand, I don't think sexual abuse is quite that simple and there is no utilitarian benefit that can be claimed.  I think that there is an added disturbing layer here.  I saw an item on our ABC about the orangutans, and this one mentioned in Sharon's post.  She had been completely shaved to make her skin more human-like, chained by the leg in a small hut on a rubber think mattress on the floor where village men would go and use her for their sexual gratification.  She was there for years before being rescued, and understandably was a very damaged animal.  If someone simply had a deviant desire for sex with animals they could probably groom a pet at home.  I fear that these specialist brothels harbor a far darker side of human domination.

[sharon tupper]

point taken... so not only is rape rape by any other name - abuse is abuse and this is just another heinous act that sits under the overall 'umbrella' of atrocities perpetrated against the voiceless...

[sharon tupper]

i know exactly what you mean kerry...