Mississippi Ranked Fifth-Worst State for Animal Protection Laws

Contact: media@aldf.org

SAN FRANCISCO — For the second time in a row, North Dakota ranks as the worst state for animal protection laws according to the annual U.S. State Animal Protection Laws Ranking Report published by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), the nation’s preeminent legal advocacy organization for animals.

The longest-running and most authoritative report of its kind, the 19th annual year-end report (2024) assesses the relative strengths and weaknesses of each U.S. state and territory’s animal protection laws, and ranks them accordingly.

North Dakota is followed by Alabama (49), Idaho (48), Kentucky (47), and Mississippi (46) rounding out the states with the weakest animal protection laws. Oregon seized the first-place rank — followed by Massachusetts (2), Maine (3), Illinois (4), and Colorado (5).

Mississippi earned its 46th spot in the rankings because state lawmakers have yet to pass a number of important protections. For example, Mississippi’s law permitting seizure and forfeiture of cruelly treated animals only applies to very limited species, such as cats, dogs, and equines. Additionally, important sentencing provisions — such as laws prohibiting convicted abusers from owning or residing with animals, or requiring offenders to undergo psychological evaluations and treatment — are only available for cases involving cats and dogs.

A new trend highlighted in the report is laws including animal cruelty in definitions of “coercive control.” Abusers will often threaten or harm companion animals as a way of controlling and intimidating their human victims. It is vital that the law recognize this link so that both humans and animals can access the resources they need to get to safety, such as obtaining domestic violence protection orders. This year, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Vermont all added animal cruelty to their definitions of “coercive control.”

“There is a large gap between the legal protections for animals that people think exist — or think should exist — and the laws that are actually on the books,” says ALDF Senior Staff Attorney Kathleen Wood. “Regardless of rank, every state and territory has room for improvement. Our Rankings Report highlights the ways each of these jurisdictions can strengthen their laws to ensure that all animals receive the protections they need and deserve.”

The rankings track which states are taking animal protection seriously and are based on a comprehensive review of each jurisdiction’s animal protection laws, including over 3,600 pages of statutes.

The full report, including details about each state, is available at www.aldf.org/staterankings.