Table 2. Present the average values obtained from the Likert scale (mean ± SD) in the perspective of veterinarians regarding pet abuse, legal involvement, and forensic investigation.
| Aspect | Indicator | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Perception of the Animal (4.22 ± 0.47) | Animal cruelty involves actions or neglect causing pain, suffering, or unnecessary killing | |
| Animal abusers often exhibit aggressive behavior and view cruelty as personal | ||
| Animal abusers may exhibit harmful, aggressive behaviors towards humans and society | ||
| Animal cruelty harms both physically and psychologically | ||
| Animal cruelty impacts the economy through costs of animal rehabilitation and care | ||
| Animal welfare means physical and mental well-being in various environments | ||
| PAWC (4.13 ± 0.36) | Perception of the concept of animal welfare (4.33 ± 0.53) | The five freedoms ensure animals’ basic needs, comfort, and natural expression |
| Neglect and abandonment are common forms of improper animal welfare | ||
| Breeding or collecting animals often leads to improper animal welfare practices | ||
| Animal welfare assessment should consider both environment and animal’s physical condition | ||
| Perception of forms of animal cruelty and improper welfare treatment (3.84 ± 0.37) | Injuries from sharp objects, impact, heat, or shooting can be distinguished | |
| Clinical signs displayed by animals may indicate poisoning or exposure to toxins | ||
| Body condition score, dehydration, and blood tests help assess starvation | ||
| Demodicosis in pets indicates poor care and potential stress conditions | ||
| Infections like parvovirus or feline leukemia often result from improper animal care | ||
| Perception of laws related to pet animals (3.49 ± 0.81) | The Public Health Act (1992) regulates proper pet care and controls nuisances, with penalties | |
| The Veterinary Profession Act (2002) ensures proper animal care by veterinarians, with penalties for violations | ||
| The Animal Hospital Act (2014) ensures hygienic standards and animal welfare, with penalties for violations | ||
| The Animal Epidemic Act (2015) sets disease control measures, ensuring animal welfare with penalties | ||
| The Animal Cruelty Prevention and Welfare Act (2014) enforces penalties for violations of animal welfare | ||
| Section 20 prohibits unnecessary animal cruelty, with penalties of up to 2 years imprisonment, a 40,000 baht fine, or both | ||
| PLAT (3.59 ± 0.61) | Perception of the Animal Cruelty Prevention and Welfare Act (2014) (3.70 ± 0.60) | Sections 22, 23, and 24 mandate proper animal care, forbidding abandonment or improper transport, with penalties up to 40,000 baht |
| Section 27 allows euthanasia for suffering animals with veterinary approval, requiring owner consent if the animal has an owner | ||
| Section 21 exempts animal killing for food, disease control, religious rituals, or necessary self-defense from being considered cruelty | ||
| Section 21 exempts ear, tail, hair, horn, or tusk removal if necessary and does not harm the animal’s life | ||
| The Animal Welfare Division enforces cruelty prevention laws and receives reports of animal abuse incidents | ||
| Perception of organizations and personnel involved in animal cruelty cases (3.58 ± 0.88) | Livestock offices at all levels enforce animal welfare laws and accept reports of animal cruelty | |
| Municipal and local administrators enforce animal welfare laws and accept reports of animal cruelty incidents | ||
| The Legal Affairs Office, including the director and legal officers, can receive animal cruelty reports | ||
| The Inspectorate and Quarantine Division is involved in animal welfare law and can receive cruelty reports | ||
| Perception of forensic science in pet animals (3.36 ± 0.78) | Forensic science applies scientific knowledge to legal cases, aiding fact-finding and law enforcement processes | |
| The chain of custody tracks evidence handling, ensuring integrity from collection to case resolution | ||
| Crime scene investigation for animal cruelty involves evidence recording, proper collection, and sample preservation | ||
| Animal cruelty cases require veterinarians to assess injuries and determine intent or accidental causes | ||
| FMIC (3.44 ± 0.67) | Applying forensic science enhances animal cruelty investigations, ensuring accurate evidence analysis and justice enforcement | |
| Sexual abuse cases in animals require biological and chemical forensic methods for evidence collection and DNA analysis | ||
| Perception of the application of forensic methods in investigating cases of pet animal cruelty (3.52 ± 0.67) | Animal shooting cases use radiology and gunshot residue tests, applying chemistry and physics for evidence | |
| Animal abuse perpetrators often exhibit antisocial behavior, with psychology methods helping to investigate motives | ||
| Animal cruelty serves as an indicator of potential family violence, applying criminology to investigate behaviors | ||
| Poisoning cases require symptom assessment, owner information, and laboratory samples, applying toxicology for investigation |
FMIC = knowledge and understanding of forensic methods used to investigate pet animal cruelty; PAWC = perspectives on forms of animal cruelty and improper welfare treatment in pet animals; PLAT = knowledge and understanding of laws related to the prevention of animal cruelty in pets in Thailand.