When young boys kill and mutilate animals does it mean they were abused?

Question

Or is it just an indicator? The neighbor boy is drowning small animals in the horse's water tub and I'm concerned. - is it just a normal phase?

Answer 1

no it is a normal fase of dominance and curiosity of death with little boys,world wide.
most normal people become disgusted with it and grow out of it.

Answer 2

It is NOT normal to hurt any animal.
Any person (no matter what age) should be seriously punished.
Anyone that supports this shot be also punished.

I cannot understand why there are some people out there that would or support those that deliberately hurt innocent animals for their entertainment. You all deserve to rot in hell.

What gives humans (apparently the most intelligent animal) the right to abuse & kill the less intelligent, innocent & harmless animal for his/her own demented purpose(s).

It is like a big tough kid bashing the small fragile shy kid in the school playground. What a gutless piece waste of life.

You should report this person to your animal protection authority immediately & hopefully they will have this person charged.

There is research that suggest those that do this kind of behaviour usually end up assualting people down the track.

So the quicker these kinds of people are reported, maybe they can be stopped hurting people let alone more innocent animals.

All animals deserve the right to life.
(Food supply for survival should be the only exception - even then they should be put down humanely - not tormented before hand)

Answer 3

It is absolutely NOT a normal phase and it is also not necessarily an indicator that the child was/is being abused. It COULD be, but it could also be an indication that he is suffering from a psychological disorder, though it may go undiagnosed due to his age alone...as most doctors claim they cannot possibly be diagnosed in children.
I'd bring it to the attention of the authorities, in any case. If he is being abused, it's the right thing, and if something is wrong, it's best to catch it early before he hurts someone other than an animal.

Answer 4

No, to be perfectly honest it is NOT. As a matter of fact, when young children do that it's a sign that they may do worse to people when they get older. It could be a reflection of what they are currently going through or have gone through in the past. When children have gone through something traumatizing they tend not to talk about it, but rather show it through their actions.

To be honest I'm not sure what you can do about it or who you could call, but if there is someone you could contact... I would. It might not even have been the parents that have hurt him, all though that is certainly a probability. It could be somebody close to him. A family friend or another kid at school who is influencing him.

I'd keep an eye on it. That's definately a sign that something's wrong. He's hurting because of something, and if it's not taken care of he could really hurt people as he grows older.

Answer 5

NOT a normal phase.
When I worked for DFCS we took this as a big sign of trouble - either an indicator of a child having suffered abuse, humiliation and/or severe belittling (this being an attempt to either vent anger by symbolically getting back at the adults who hurt them, or to take some kind of power - any power - back into the child's own hands)
OR
it was also seen as a symptom of potentially serious mental health concerns in a child (i.e. conduct disorder, which often becomes sociopathic behaviour in adulthood)

Either way, a child who is mutilating animals or killing them, is showing a shocking lack of empathy (which is needed to help us be civil humans) and is in need of a therapist who is experienced in working with children who demonstrate such behaviours.

Answer 6

Quite possibably. But the real worry is about when they get older. Studies have shown there is a strong correlation between the tortue of animals by young children to murder, rape and violence when they get older. Iam not talking about throwing stones at the ducks occasionally. Drowning small animals could be a concern.

Answer 7

Poaching, in a legal sense, is the illegal killing of animals. Some of the other answers look very pretty and complicated, but they're actually faulty. It doesn't have to involve rare animals, particular or only certain parts... If there's a law saying you can't fish in that stretch of river, you do so regardless and catch a trout, then you were poaching.

Answer 8

Of course it is NOT NORMAL!! Yes, the boy has issues. I know you don't want to be a nosy neighbor, but you should look in to it. Call Social Services. Or, at the very least, call Animal Cruelty. Just a footnote...You know that 90% of serial killers, start out killing animals as children, don't you??

Answer 9

No, but that behavior is one of the behaviors that may indicate Conduct Disorder (CD). CD in an adolescent can lead to Anti-Social Personality Disorder as an adult, (used to be called Sociopath) Check the link. In short, it isn't good. Get professional help for the person.

Answer 10

I believe it is some kind of aggression. A way this young person is reaching out to describe his or her feelings, about somthing that is going on in their life they don't understand. This person may feel anger, and don't know any other way to express it. I would be very conserned, and talk to a health care worker. You may be saving his life, or a life time of outword aggression. If it were your child wouldn't you want to know why he is killing animals? Hurry, before he moves to hurting people.

Answer 11

No, it means they will be abusers. Tell his parents and try to explain to the boy what he does is wrong. we must love animals and protect the defenseless. Try to make him understand it is wrong and feel ashamed, but without shouting and being like a bad person to his eyes, because then he will react and be worse.