For the first time, Oregon ranks as the top state for animal protection laws according to the annual U.S. State Animal Protection Laws Ranking Report published by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the nations preeminent legal advocacy organization for animals.
According to the ALDF, it is the longest-running and most authoritative report of its kind. The 18th annual year-end report (2023) assesses the relative strengths and weaknesses of each U.S. state and territorys animal protection laws and ranks them accordingly.
Oregon is followed by Maine (2), Illinois (3), Massachusetts (4), and Colorado (5). In 2023, North Dakota sank to the bottom of the rankings in 50th place, with Alabama (49), Idaho (48), South Carolina (47), and Kentucky (46) rounding out the states with the weakest animal protection laws.
While the report explains a continuing trend in 2023 was the enactment of laws prohibiting the sexual assault of animals, ALDF says every state except West Virginia has some law banning sexual assault of animals, with New Mexico and the District of Columbia enacting such laws for the first time in 2023, and Connecticut enacting a law closing a loophole which had impeded successful prosecutions for those who sexually assault animals.
According to ALDF, a new trend highlighted in the report is bond-or-forfeit laws, which help alleviate the financial burden on cities and counties caring for animals who have been seized pursuant to an animal cruelty case.
It may take months or even years before a criminal case is fully adjudicated.
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