Last year, Gothamist reported on a Bay Ridge bike messenger who was arrested for animal cruelty, after beating and torturing his fiancee's cat to death. Yesterday, James Whalen was sentenced to five years probation, plus continued treatment in alcohol abuse and anger management programs, instead of going to jail. Gothamist hopes that Whalen is truly sorry, and we hope that people realize that abusing animals is a punishable crime. Whalen also said that his relationship with his fiancee deteriorated after he killed her cat, and their wedding was called off; he said that she didn't want anything else to do with him, which really isn't that surprising since he KILLED her cat.
Animal Precinct has a Q&A with Dale Riedel, the Vice-President of the ASPCA's Humane Law Enforcement, that gives a good idea of how the ASPCA works in NYC. He mentions a story about an alligator that was a building super's pet, but a tenant filed a complaint as it's illegal to have an alligator as a pet.
