Animal cruelty
What Should You Do If You Come Across Animal Cruelty?
Do not interact with the content:
You should never like, dislike, comment on, or share posts showing animal cruelty. All of these interactions increase the relevance of the content and give the post more reach.
Report the content:
You can report the content using the platform’s reporting function. This feature is often hidden in a menu that can be opened by clicking the three dots in the corner of the post.
Possibly save evidence:
From a legal perspective, action against animal cruelty can only be taken if the perpetrator’s name and place of residence are known. If you come across a post where this information is identifiable, take a screenshot or screen recording of the post and the user’s profile and save the link. You can then provide this evidence to the police in the area where the user lives.
Support animal welfare accounts:
Follow animal welfare accounts, like their posts, and leave comments. Increased interaction makes these posts more likely to be shown to other people and helps raise awareness of the issue.
What Can You Do to Stop Seeing Animal Cruelty Content?
Do not interact
You should not like the posts, comment on them, or share them. The less you interact with a post, the less likely it is that you will be shown similar content in the future.
Mute accounts
Click on the three dots directly on the user’s profile or on one of their posts. On Instagram, for example, select “Not interested” and then “Don’t suggest posts from …”. In the future, you should no longer be shown content from that account.
Hide sensitive content
In the settings of social media apps, you can hide or reduce content that has been classified as sensitive. While this is not a 100% guarantee, it should help prevent animal cruelty and similar content from appearing in your feed in the future.
What Can You Do to Help Prevent Animal Cruelty in General?
Sign petitions:
The World Animal Protection Society (Welttierschutzgesellschaft – WTG e.V.) has launched a petition calling on platforms to no longer allow animal cruelty content. It also calls for animals to be included under Section 131 of the German Criminal Code. As a result, distributing, glorifying, or trivializing animal cruelty would become a criminal offense.
Donate:
There are numerous animal welfare associations and organizations that can use any kind of support. Animal shelters in Germany, which are often heavily overloaded, also appreciate any help they can receive. Donations do not have to be large – every euro helps. Animal sponsorships or flight sponsorships are also good ways to help.
Get involved:
If you want to take active action, you can volunteer. Almost all animal welfare organizations are looking for new supporters. Depending on the organization, you can help in many different areas, such as caring for animals in a shelter, observing and maintaining habitats in nature conservation areas, or working in marketing and finance if that is more your area of interest.
