Name
Understanding Breathlessness in Legal Cases of Animal Cruelty: Definitions, Interpreting Evidence and Sentencing Outcomes
Date & Time
Thursday, April 8, 2021, 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Dr. Rebecca Ledger
Description

Breathlessness is a negative affective state that is an urgent compulsion to increase respiratory activity, to overcome resistance to airflow due to obstructions in air passages, or to escape from external impediments to breathing. While asphyxiation describes the state or process of being deprived of oxygen, breathlessness describes the unpleasant feeling that accompanies it. In other words, breathlessness causes animals to suffer. 

Many cruel acts can result in animals experiencing breathlessness, including suffocation, choking, drowning and preventing expansion of the thoracic cavity. The longer an animal experiences any of these conditions, the more severe the air hunger (shortness of breath), and the more intense the suffering becomes. Severe air hunger and breathlessness are reported to be the most unpleasant sensations, probably having the greatest potential to compromise animal welfare. Furthermore, anxiety, fear and panic can also occur secondary to breathlessness, worsening the overall negative affect. 

Understanding the nature of breathlessness is critical when investigating cases of animal abuse, not only when animals die due to asphyxiation, but also when victims survive their abuse. 

Historically, Prosecutors have been deterred from laying charges when animals have survived asphyxiation and drowning as there is often insufficient physical evidence to proceed. However, in the last two years, Canadian Courts have ruled in favour of the prosecution in various cruelty cases involving breathlessness in cats and dogs, even when no physical evidence has been available. This presentation will describe case studies and their sentencing outcomes.

Key Learnings :

1. How to recognize breathlessness in animal cruelty cases.
2. How to organize evidence in cases involving breathlessness.
3. How to apply the science of breathlessness to real life cases using case studies.

Session Type
Presentation
Stage
Stage 2 LIVE