The Influence of Evidence on Animal Cruelty Prosecution and Case Outcomes: Results of a Survey.

Two hundred prosecuting attorneys completed a survey concerning priorities in taking on animal cruelty cases and the factors that help or hinder prosecuting such cases. Respondents commented on the priority given such cases. Questions also addressed specific kinds of evidence that had been used to decide whether to take on a cruelty case and were used in court.

Animal hoarding: The challenge for mental health, law enforcement, and animal welfare professionals.

Animal hoarding has been considered a significant problem by animal welfare and law enforcement professionals for over a century. However, it has only been recognized as an indication of a mental disorder in the last decade. I review the different forms that animal hoarding can take and the current understanding of the prevalence, demographics and possible etiology of this disorder.

Relationship Between Scarring and Dog Aggression in Pit Bull-Type Dogs Involved in Organized Dogfighting.

When pit bull-type dogs are seized in an investigation of organized dogfighting, heavily scarred dogs are often assumed to be highly dog aggressive due to a history of fighting. These dogs may be deemed dangerous and euthanized based on scarring alone. We analyzed our existing data on dogs seized from four dogfighting investigations, examining the relationship between the dogs' scars with aggression towards other dogs.

One-armed brachiation in gibbons (Hylobates lar).

The locomotor and postural behavior of Hylobates lar was studied in a seminaturalistic environment at the New York Zoological Park. A particular locomotor pattern, one-armed brachiation, was observed and filmed. Analysis indicated that the occurrence of one-armed brachiation as a preferred locomotor pattern was rare and was limited to the carrying of food.