ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the animal crime refers to any act, or failure to act, which has a negative impact on the health and welfare of an animal(s), or an act by an animal that has a negative impact on the health and welfare of another animal or human. It discusses some of the investigative tools available for documenting the crime scene in general. The need for evidence-based investigation and prosecution of animal crime cases is one of the driving forces behind the development of the field of veterinary forensic science. Physical evidence, in general terms, is any tangible object that relates to a crime or that can assist in establishing that a crime occurred. An additional reason to conduct a thorough crime scene investigation is that, for many animal crimes, the totality of circumstance of the scene has a direct impact on the decision as to whether or not the act reaches the level of a crime.
