Utah Ranked Fifth Worst State for Animal Protection Laws

Contact: media@aldf.org

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — For the second year in a row, New Mexico ranks as the worst state for animal protection laws according to the annual U.S. Animal Protection Laws Rankings Report published by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the nation’s preeminent legal advocacy organization for animals.

The longest-running and most authoritative report of its kind, the 16th annual year-end Rankings Report (2021) assesses the relative strengths and weaknesses of each U.S. state’s and territory’s animal protection laws and ranks them accordingly.

New Mexico is preceded by Idaho (49), Mississippi (48), Alabama (47), and Utah (46) rounding out states with the weakest animal protection laws. Maine once again takes first place with the strongest state animal protection laws — followed by Illinois (2), Oregon (3), Colorado (4), and Rhode Island (5).

Utah earned its 46th spot in the rankings because state lawmakers have yet to pass a number of important protections. For example, Utah does not require convicted offenders to forfeit their animals who have been subjected to animal cruelty, and does not prohibit such offenders from owning or possessing animals. Additionally, Utah’s definition of “animal” is extremely limited, excluding large populations of animals including some farmed animals and wild animals, who are therefore not protected under Utah’s animal cruelty laws.  

A new trend in 2021 was the enactment and strengthening of veterinary reporting laws and cross-reporting laws. Such laws either require or explicitly permit veterinarians or social service professionals to report suspected animal cruelty. In 2021 four states and one territory enacted veterinary reporting or cross-reporting laws. Another new trend was the enactment of laws addressing certification and training of humane officers. Only 16 states have laws specifying both training standards and enforcement powers for humane officers — laws that are necessary to ensure proper enforcement of animal protection laws. Thankfully that number is trending upward as three states enacted comprehensive humane officer laws in 2021.

“It is vital that we continue to strengthen our animal protection laws as animals are some of the most vulnerable members of society and are too often subjected to cruel mistreatment,” says Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells. “The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s annual Rankings Report helps legislators and advocates identify weak points in their states’ laws — and highlight strong models that can be used to address those weaknesses.”

The rankings are based on a comprehensive review of each jurisdiction’s animal protection laws, including over 3,000 pages of statutes. This is the longest-running and most authoritative report of its kind and tracks which states are taking animal protection seriously.

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