States Ranked In Animal Welfare

The Animal Legal Defense Fund has released its sixth annual US Animal Protection Laws Rankings, analyzing animal-welfare laws across the country and grading each state according to how its animals—and animal abusers—fare legally. The year’s five top-rated states are Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, and California. Conversely, Kentucky, North Dakota, Idaho, Iowa, and South Dakota scored the lowest regarding penalties for animal cruelty. The ALDF ranked the states based on numeric scores accumulated from 41 questions spanning 14 different animal-protection law categories. The full report discloses both existing strengths and potential improvements for each of the winners, as well as a thorough examination of the legal shortcomings of the lowest-ranked states.