Animal cruelty or animal abuse refers to the infliction of suffering among animals. Though some groups say that this is not an inherently wrong practices, advocates of animal welfare believe otherwise. Especially in the 20^th century, several laws on animal cruelty have been drafted and passed to ensure that the welfare of animals are well taken care of. Advocates of animal welfare uphold the idea that even domestic animals should never be taken as properties that people can use as commodities, primarily because they are not commodities. Here is a list of the top 10 countries that have been generally known for their cruelty to animals:

Large-scale practices of animal cruelties have been registered in Netherlands for the last decade. This country is known for its active involvement in the trading of sick horses as well as in the trade of other live animals such as cats, dogs, ducks, swans and geese. A Dutch artist named Tinkebell is also known for killing and brutally mutilating breeds of innocent animals in the country. Among the most common animal abuse practices in Netherlands are the throwing of baby chicks in a paper shredder, stuffing of hamsters into tiny balls and butchering dogs without their own masters. Recently, several animal activists pleaded the Dutch government to enforce stricter implementation of its laws against animal cruelty.

Several extreme ports of animal abuse and cruelty are known in Greece. Not a day passes by in this country without reports of dogs and cats poisoned, wolves brutally killed and sea turtles taken out of the sea and slaughtered. In terms of their treatment to animals, people from outside Europe refer to the Greek people as Barbaric humans without culture because of their ill reputation when it comes to treating animals. Since the olden times, the people of this country have been in the practice of poisoning innocent animals, tying little kittens in plastic bags and disposing them, and keeping dogs in chains without feeding them. Recently, in the town of Caretta-Caretta, an endangered species of turtle was reportedly found tied and beheaded.

Just like the Greeks, the people of Romania are known for their barbarism when it comes to treating animals. Romanians are known for slaughtering animals in barbaric ways and then selling them for money. It is in this country that tourists see calves hanging on trees with their heads down, and their throats, cut. Every day in Romania, there are reports of animals found swimming in their own blood after being killed by the merciless locals of Romania who are in the practice of either slaughtering animals, skinning them alive, tying their necks till they cannot breathe, and beheading them. Seldom do these people observe veterinary rules.

While some countries are known for the practice of tying the necks of or slaughtering animals straight away, Bulgaria is known for grave animal torture. A journalist who once delved into the animal abuse practices adopted by the people of Bulgaria found out that among their favourites is poisoning stray animals such as dogs and cats. Reports of masters who carried out absolute massacre of their own dogs are also present in this country. Aside from poisoning stray animals and massacring dogs, the people of Bulgaria are also known for decapitating stray cats and kittens and dogs and hanging them on trees. Mutilation of dogs is also a rampant practice here. It is only in this country where tourists can see beheaded cats and dogs hanging not just on trees but even bridges.

Most of the countries that are known for adopting extreme animal cruelty practices do their thing among helpless dogs, cats and calves. But Venezuela does not. Reports have it that the incidents of animal cruelty in this country are most common among the group of wild animals such as lions, beasts and wild geese. A Venezuelan lion named Casimiro recently died because of the wounds inflicted on him by unpitying zoo visitors. The open wounds left Casimiro depressed and neurotic for weeks until he died. The people of Venezuela are also known for the practice of chasing wild geese and for whipping, torturing then eventually slaughtering horses, especially those that have been lost in playoffs. Another report of a Venezuelan local who twisted the tail of a poor beast till it died became viral on the web.

The practice of animal cruelty is still unabated in the land of Egypt. Different forms of cruelty to animals are manifest not just among the adults but even among the young, who generally have torturing animals as their pastimes. There was one incident when a six year old boy was caught holding a little kitten in his arms. All of a sudden, he dropped the kitten on the ground, held his one leg with a string and continued to toss the kitten back and forth to the floor until it died.  Egyptians are generally known as a callous group of people when it comes to treating animals. It is a good thing though that laws concerning animal welfare are being pushed in this country these days.

Spain offers breathtaking destinations for tourists. However, animals in this country are fondly called “animals in distress” because of the general kind of treatment that they get from people. Many families in Spain have their own slaughterhouses, so they continue to hunt down animals in the forest so they may have something to eat. But there is more to their heartless practices than just hunting down animals in forests and killing them. Several Spanish people have been reported because of their senseless killings of cats, dogs and pigs, and even calves. There was once a time when a teenager was seen trying to drown several kittens in a large basin until they died, or cutting the heads of pigs while they’re still conscious.

China has long been known for its lack of care for animals. Several offenses made against animals have been recorded since 2006, so a good number of activists are now pushing for laws that will safeguard the welfare of these animals. Among the animal abuse practices adopted in China is the skinning of foxes and other furry animals while they are still alive. Since China is a generally cool country, wearing of cardigans or coats has been common among its people. The inverted practice is not just common among foxes but fishes as well. The Chinese people are known for catching fishes in the sea and removing their unnecessary internal organs while they are still alive. Aside from those, several videos of Chinese nationals torturing birds and other stray animals are also viral in the web.

Slaughterhouses are common in Australia. People living in this country are known for killing large animals such as bulls and cattle by way of punching them, beating them and kicking them hard till they die. They carry out the worst form of cruelty to downer animals, which refer to those who are already too weak to stand up and defend themselves either because of their age or a sickness. There was once a reported instance of an Australian who actually poked a lame bull with an electrified prodder more than a hundred times till it died. As this was video recorded and went viral on the web, several viewers from around the world have seen how the lame bull died in so much pain because of his Australian tormentor.

Japan is one of the very few Asian countries that are known for being engaged in the practice of animal cruelty. It is believed that the different forms of abuse inflicted among animals in Japan are driven by capitalism. A fully developed country, Japan is known for treating animals not like living creatures but things that can be dumped anytime. Each year, Japanese nationals reportedly kill about 300,000 domestic cats and dogs in a brutal fashion, such as suffocating them, poisoning them or inflicting physical torture on them. Some even just pick up stray cats and dogs and casually throw them in rivers as though they are inanimate beings, while some twitch the bodies of small animals such as kittens and hamsters till they die. The idea of picking up and providing homes for stray animals are never really a practice among the Japanese. They generally find pleasure in killing animals.