A Swiss animal welfare group, Tier im Recht, has warned that the maltreatment of horses is steadily increasing in Switzerland, with levels of animal abuse in the country reaching record-breaking levels.
According to the group, 10 per cent of the 105 cases of horse abuse in 2014 involved people having sex with them, a statistic that concerns animal rights workers.
Andreas Rüttimann, a legal expert with Tier im Recht told The Local, “This rate is relatively elevated compared with other types of animals”.
Switzerland is heavily populated with horses; it is thought that some 110,000 if them live on 18,000 Swiss farms. With statistics suggesting that one is assaulted every three days, animal welfare advocates approximate that 10,000 people in the country have a sexual desires towards them.
Although dogs do remain the most common animal targeted by sexual abusers in the country, it is worrying that horses are increasingly being assaulted.
While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how many horse abuse cases occur in the country each year, Tier im Recht believes that the number is far higher than the 105 reported.
The total number of animal abuse violations last year exceeded 1700, marking an increase from the 1542 that occurred in 2013.
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