T-R PHOTO BY ADAM SODDERS Preston Moore of the Human Society of the United States speaks with about 17 local citizens about animal cruelty issues at a town hall meeting Tuesday evening.

Topics like animal torture, state laws and certain types of hunting were discussed at an animal cruelty town hall meeting at Fisher Community Center Tuesday.

The meeting was led by Preston Moore of the Human Society of the United States. He was joined by Shelly Deal of the Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown.

“We fight for all animals. In a state like Iowa, some of those fights are a little tougher,” Moore said.

He said the Humane Society and many animal care organizations see issues with existing federal and state laws, as well as many city ordinances around animal cruelty.

One state law Moore said the Humane Society wants to see changed concerns animal torture. Currently, he said a perpetrator must commit two acts of animal torture to be charged with a felony; he said he would like to see it reduced to one act.

“The other one is prohibition of future ownership put directly into the code,” Moore said.

He said that means a person convicted of committing an “egregious” animal cruelty crime could be banned from owning an animal for a period of time as deemed necessary by a judge.

Moore and Deal encouraged the group of about 17 at the meeting to contact their local legislators to share concerns about existing state laws on animal cruelty.

Deal said the Animal Rescue League often receives animals with serious conditions like flea infestations, matted hair, overgrown nails and skin disease, but no action can be taken against the owners due to lack of specificity in state laws.

“Because (state laws) are not specific enough, sometimes we can’t consider that neglect … the reason we can’t do that is because the word ‘intentional’ is in that code,” Deal said. “I preach, preach, preach all the time to people ‘Call your lawmakers.'”

She said an owner not grooming or taking proper care of their animal may not be deemed “intentional,” in a legal animal neglect case.

One non-law change Moore said the Humane Society is pushing for in Iowa is putting an end to “killing contests,” where a group of hunters goes after animals like coyotes or foxes with the intent of killing the animals for sport rather than food or another use.

“We’re also working with our state sportsmen to reduce and eventually remove lead ammunitions,” Moore said. “There are so many alternatives now with ammunitions that don’t include lead.”

Many types of ammunition contain lead, which can enter the ecosystem and poison non-game wildlife, such as bald eagles and other raptor species, he said.

Moore said changes to local, state and federal laws and rules regarding animal cruelty have to be addressed in “baby steps.”

“What we do ask is people treat animals a little better,” he said.

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Contact Adam Sodders at

(641) 753-6611 or asodders@timesrepublican.com