Bestiality is cross-species sexual activity between human and non-human animals. Zoophilia is a paraphilia involving a sexual fixation by a human on non-human animals. The terms are often used interchangeably, but some researchers make a distinction between the attraction (zoophilia) and the act (bestiality).
Although sex with animals is not outlawed in some countries, in most countries, bestiality is illegal under animal abuse laws or laws dealing with crimes against nature.
Animal rights cases[]
In 2011, PETA criticized White House press secretary Jay Carney for making light of a question about an approved U.S. Senate vote that included a provision to repeal the military ban on sodomy and also on bestiality. When asked how he felt animal rights groups would feel about the bill, he said, "Let's get to something more serious." PETA wrote a letter saying his response was flippant.
Denmark passed a law in April, 2015, that banned bestiality, a decision that PETA supported.
However, Ingrid Newkirk, co-founder of PETA, has been quoted as saying she is opposed to non-consensual bestiality. Perhaps inspired by personist leader Peter Singer, she said, “If a girl gets sexual pleasure from riding a horse, does the horse suffer? If not, who cares? If you French kiss your dog and he or she thinks it's great, is it wrong? We believe all exploitation and abuse is wrong. If it isn't exploitation and abuse, it may not be wrong.”