ABSTRACT
Animal sexual abuse is known by terms such as bestiality, zoophilia, or animal sexual assault. Bestiality is typically defined in human psychology as relating to recurrent intense sexual fantasies, urges, and sexual activities with nonhuman animals or any kind of sexual contact with an animal from which one experiences sexual excitement or pleasure. Animal sexual abuse is derived from “child sexual abuse,” a term more precise and complete than bestiality or zoophilia. The earliest known illustrations of human interest in sexual contact with animals date back at least 25,000 years to cave paintings depicting sexual intercourse between humans and animals. Human-animal sexual relations are also portrayed through the ages and in a variety of cultures in art and mythology. Sexual assault examinations are performed routinely by sexual assault nurse examiners on human victims of sexual assault, also known as medical-forensic exams.
