On Monday, the Humane Society of the United States released its first Humane State Ranking, which rated each US state on animal-protection criteria in 10 major categories. Categories included animal fighting, animal cruelty, puppy mills, use of animals in research, equine protection, wildlife abuse, factory farming, fur and trapping, exotic animals, and companion-animal laws. California faired best, thanks to its high marks on 45 of the criteria. New Jersey followed in second place, and Colorado, Maine, and Massachusetts all tied for third place. South Dakota joined Idaho, Mississippi and North Dakota at the very bottom of the list, due to the states’ lack of felony penalties for “egregious acts of animal cruelty.”