US President Donald Trump signed into law on Monday the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT Act), making animal cruelty a federal crime.
The PACT Act forbids intentional acts of “animal crushing,” which includes conduct where non-human mammals, birds, reptiles or amphibians are “purposely crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury.” Additionally, the Act makes illegal the creation and distribution of any “animal crush” videos. Those convicted will now face federal felony charges, fines, and up to seven years in prison.
