Attacks on the Rise

Report Quantifies Animal Agriculture Attacks
02/25/2009

The Arlington, Virginia-based Animal Agriculture Alliance reports that during 2008, attacks on the global food chain from animal rights and environmental extremists jumped 42% - from 155 in 2007 to 220 last year. Much of the increase came from the Animal Liberation Front. Those attacks exploded 377 percent. Information compiled by the Alliance indicated there were 640 acts of sabotage, vandalism and arson in 2008, up from 467 the previous year.

The overall level of animal rights extremist attacks in the USA on businesses that use animals - including medical research, consumer product safety, pets, circuses, rodeos, fur shops, hunting stores, farmers, ranchers, food retailers - surged nearly 40%. Destruction or defacement of property were the most frequently used techniques in their attempts to intimidate food chain businesses to shut down.

Also, extremists claimed responsibility for the "liberation" of thousands of animals during the year, and millions of dollars in damage. Still, Mexico appears to be an emerging center for animal rights terrorism. In 2008, extremist groups in Mexico claimed more than double the number of attacks than were claimed in the USA. Link

Attacks from animal rights extremists is a very real and scary problem that happens all over the country and world. It seems as though their attacks have stepped up because their successes have diminished. More and more people are seeing them for what they really are, domestic terrorists. The FBI has also been more successful at catching and convicting these criminals. I guess when your message doesn’t resonate with people, you have to turn to violence and bully the public into believing you, but it’s not working.