Editor's Note:
This story explores a disturbing topic and contains graphic descriptions of animal abuse.
Understanding Animal Crush Videos
Many "animal crush" videos begin with a masked individual holding an animal, often a cat or dog, and appearing to show them affection. The audience is then treated to a display of the tools—shoes, knives, ropes—that will be used to inflict harm. The suffering of the animal unfolds, with viewers witnessing its fear.
Prevalence and Impact
Janette Reever, a senior specialist at the Humane Society of the United States, reveals that they receive numerous reports each year of illegal torture porn, involving the abuse of animals. While primarily found on the dark web, these videos can also surface on mainstream social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Despite efforts by these platforms to detect and remove such content, it continues to persist, prompting a dedicated subculture of web sleuths to combat it.
Psychopathic Tendencies
Experts suggest that the creators of these videos exhibit psychopathic traits and may be on the path to becoming serial killers. The distribution of such content has been criminalized, and psychologist Kevin Volkan, who testified before the US Senate in 2010, explains that while fetishes are common, crush paraphilias, while less frequent, don't always involve violence.
"The idea is that the guys watching the videos are identifying with the thing that's being crushed... Most of the time, it's small animals, like bugs. That's the majority of it, but then you find the people who graduate to mice because they need a little bit of a bigger thrill." — Kevin Volkan
A Complex Phenomenon
Volkan, who doesn't specialize in animal crush but has studied related paraphilias, notes that the first animal crush videos emerged with the early days of the internet. The first law prohibiting these videos was signed in 2000. He attributes the behavior to a desire for power and control, with some individuals finding small creatures under their "foot" as a means of satisfaction.
He also highlights that those who abuse larger domesticated animals often display psychopathology, lacking a conscience and driven by sadistic urges. Some may have a history of physical or sexual abuse, contributing to their desensitization to animal cruelty.