Push to ban people watching shocking animal torture videos

Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell is pushing to make it illegal to watch or possess shocking videos of puppies and kittens being crushed.

Georgie Purcell will introduce a motion in parliament calling to make animal torture videos illegal. Picture: Rob Leeson.

Watching animal torture videos could soon be outlawed in Victoria.

New South Wales became the first state in Australia to ban animal “crush videos” after the footage started to infiltrate the country’s dark web.

Now there is a push to ban the possession and distribution of the distressing videos which show animals being tortured.

Animal crush or animal “snuff” videos are deemed versions of extreme porn and fetish videos which often involve the torture of animals, usually puppies and kittens.

An open source investigation in 2020 found over 3000 videos for sale available to people in Australia, including videos crushing and killing kittens, puppies, dogs, baby chicks, snakes, rabbits, pigs, mice, ducklings, fish and insects.

A typical crush video involves a woman, often wearing high heels, crushing an animal to death.

The investigation revealed that these videos were easily accessible to Victorians on crush-specific websites, social media accounts, and pornography websites.

While bestiality and animal cruelty are both illegal, there is no specific offence in Victoria that makes it illegal to possess or distribute bestiality, or animal crush footage and images.

Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell will on Thursday introduce a motion in parliament calling on the government to amend the Crimes Act to make it illegal for Victorians to possess such videos.

It would also be illegal for internet sites to distribute the footage.

“It is shocking that animals are being tortured and abused in this depraved manner, and even more so that it is being consumed and distributed by Victorians,” Ms Purcell said.

“It is an obvious and simple change to the Crimes Act that will outlaw cruel animal crush and bestiality materials.”

RSPCA Victoria chief executive Liz Walker said inspectors would investigate anyone reported to be creating these videos in Victoria.

“Restricting the ability to possess or share this material would be in line with community expectations around animal cruelty and potentially reduce the commercial opportunities for their creators,” she said.

The government was contacted for comment.