Cruel treatment of animals with the use of sadistic methods

Introduction. The relevance of the research is grounded by the needs of modern law enforcement practice in establishing criteria for determining cruel treatment of animals and differentiating it from cruel treatment of animals with the use of sadistic methods. The research of the subject reveals a problem - the lack of a unified approach to the establishment of the acts in question, due to the fact that cruel treatment of animals and cruel treatment of animals with the use of sadistic methods are evaluative categories. The purpose of the research is to analyse the existing practice of qualification of cruelty to animals and cruelty to animals with the use of sadistic methods and to develop criteria for differentiating the acts in question. Methods. The methods of analysis, synthesis, generalisation, content analysis of documents, comparative-legal, formallogical and systemic ones were used. Results. The main results of the research are the revealed law enforcement issues related to the qualification of cruel treatment of animals. On the basis of the analysis of law enforcement practice of qualification of criminally punishable acts, the criteria of differentiation between cruel treatment of animals and the same act, but committed with the use of sadistic methods are determined. Recommendations for their qualification are formulated. These results are considered to be of theoretical and practical importance of the research.