Pet Theft: The Animal Rights Connection
For years now, animal rights activists have been claiming, despite a lack of evidence, that large numbers of pets are stolen by people with the sole intent of reselling the animals to laboratories. A recent string of animal thefts in Maryland had a much different motive — an animal rights activist is the main suspect in the crimes.
Police in Maryland are looking for Patricia L. Tereskiewicz of Silver Spring, Maryland. In 1987 Tereskiewicz was charged with trespassing after climbing onto the roof of a biomedical research firm as part of a protest, and in 1989 she was arrested for violating Maryland’s statute against hunt sabotage.
In recent years Tereskiewicz was a persistent caller to police to register complaints of alleged animal abuse. Tereskiewicz was charged with stealing two dogs after she had repeatedly complained that the dogs were being abused. Police investigated the complaint, but did not cite the owner. They did ask the owner to make changes to an outdoor structure that housed the dogs, and the owner complied.
Apparently that wasn’t good enough for Tereskiewicz who, with an unknown male accomplice, allegedly swiped the dogs on April 15. Witnesses described seeing the dogs placed in a Ford Escort which was later traced to Tereskiewicz.
Police believe the animal rights activist may have played a role in as many as 16 other pet thefts over the past couple years.
“These people will call and complain, three, four, five times on the same address,” Captain Wayne Fryer, director of the Animal Services Division for Montgomery County, Maryland, told The Washington Times. “It [the subsequent police investigation] doesn’t meet the standards of these activists. THey think we should go further. [But when they abduct an animal] they’re committing a crime. They’re stealing property that belongs to someone else.
Source:
Animal rights activists blamed for dog thefts. Matthew Cella, The Washington Times, August 3, 2001.
Tags: Pet Theft