Bosnian Teen Suspected in Animal Cruelty Case, Caught on Video

Bosnian police and Facebook users are looking for a teenage girl who viciously threw a litter of puppies into a river, according to the New York Daily News. The video was posted to YouTube but has since been taken down. PETA has offered a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the girl. The penalty for animal cruelty in Bosnia is a fine from $19 up to $6,400.

Facebook users have started a network called "Find the Girl Who Threw Puppies in River" that has over 15,000 members on the list. Someone in Bosnia thought making this video was a good idea, but the rest of the world isn't laughing.

Animal cruelty cases

Americans usually think of animal cruelty laws as being restricted only to the United States. Then, a recent case in Britain where a woman was quoted as saying "it would be funny" to stuff a neighbor's cat into a trash can came to light. No one is laughing about that case either, as she now faces animal cruelty charges.

Cases of animal cruelty know no boundaries or borders. High-profile cases in the United States, such as using forklifts to move sick cows into slaughterhouses and the Michael Vick cockfighting case, are press-heavy events that speak of a widespread and now worldwide problem. We, as Americans, tend to forget that in this global society there are animal abuses happening in developed countries all of the time.

People who abuse animals probably have some issues in their lives with which they need help. Teenagers do strange things, and it's not surprising that the girl in Bosnia may be in her middle teens. However, the cases of the lady in Coventry, England, and Michael Vick are inexcusable. Both of those people knew that hurting animals was wrong. Using a forklift to move a cow is not only dangerous to the animal but the meat could also be tainted and affect many other people who eat that beef.

We need to see animal cruelty as a systemic problem that isn't going to be solved by fines or jail. People who abuse any living thing, whether it is a human, dog, cat, cow, bird, horse, or whatever, need someone to talk to about their feelings. Humans as a rule can be very cruel beings, and with so much focus on abuse and bullying of humans, it can be easy to forget that animals can also be targets for destructive situations.

The only answer is to get help in curing what is causing the emotional distress in the first place, otherwise animal abusers will likely hurt them again or start harming humans. The case of the Bosnian teen isn't anything new or special; just another reminder that everyone needs some help at some time in their lives.

The New York Daily News, Huffington Post, and CBS News all contributed information for this article.