Animal Abuse has been at the forefront of American society for years beyond years. I have been watching commercials for donations to help abused animals since I was a little boy.
America has recently passed legislative material making it a felony to intentionally harm or kill an animal. Lesser forms of animal abuse can result in misdemeanor charges and fines.
Each state has different penalties for how they deal with Animal Abusers but since their has been a national outcry the entirety of America has put some type of punishment for animal abuse in their legislation.
Animal Abuse is not centralized to just America though many different nations across the world still actively participate in animal fighting for money such as dog fights or cock fights.
Recent studies have shown that animal abuse and human abuse go hand in hand. If we don't recognize the problem during the early stages of abuse many offenders take their violence to the next level with people!
https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/animal-cruelty-facts-and-stats