The Animal Cruelty Helpline (877-548-6263) will be closed December 23 – January 2, 2025. If you need help addressing urgent animal needs during this time, visit https://apnm.org/what-we-do/challenging-animal-cruelty/animal-cruelty-helpline/ for more information on who else to call.
How to Report Cruelty to Animals
877-5HUMANE
877-548-6263
9 AM – 4 PM Monday through Friday
Most calls returned within 24 hours.
Calls made outside these hours will be returned within 48 hours.
Speak slowly and clearly and provide the following:
- Describe your concern.
- What have you witnessed?
- Provide the address and/or city/county in which this took place.
- If you do not know the address, provide clear directions, with street names and/or landmarks.
- Please leave a number at which you can be reached.
Someone will return your call as soon as possible.
Thank you for being the voice for animals.
Special Holiday Instructions
For help during holidays, see the chart below with information on who to call if you see an animal in distress.
We are not a law enforcement agency and have no legal authority to intervene directly, but we can help callers identify and report animal abuse and neglect to local authorities. Callers may remain anonymous if they wish.
Approximately 400 animal cruelty cases are reported to the helpline each year, and in many instances APNM can simply refer callers to the correct agency for reporting neglect and abuse. In other instances, particularly those in which a caller wishes to remain anonymous, APNM works directly with the appropriate agency to help bring relief to many of the animal(s) affected. Unfortunately, APNM is not able to help bring relief to animals in every case because local and/or state laws do not prohibit activities that are clearly cruel but not yet illegal.
APNM’s Helpline and Cruelty Case Management system is unlike anything offered in any other state. Callers regularly tell APNM that no one else responded to their calls and that APNM made all the difference for an individual animal. Most calls are returned within 24 hours.
APNM’s animal cruelty helpline service is invaluable for the public who witness neglect and cruelty because often the information about animals in jeopardy can lead to eventual relief for many animal victims. However, the helpline also serves other important roles.
APNM tracks and analyzes the data it obtains from the helpline to evaluate trends in animal cruelty reported and to determine priorities for potential policy changes of all kinds: local and state laws; legislative and non-legislative policies; and indicators of services that are lacking. The helpline also identifies areas of the state that could benefit from additional law enforcement training and humane education. In this regard, the helpline serves as a crucial incubator for longer-term, systemic change, which is central to APNM’s mission.
TESTIMONIAL: “Thank you for the advice! Since our local Animal Control did not provide any information regarding the corrective action they’re requiring, I will be watching for positive changes. I really appreciate your ongoing oversight of this, as I’m just a regular citizen who happens to be a responsible dog and horse owner. I’ve talked with the surrounding neighbors, who would rather not make waves. They’re also sickened by what goes on at this house, so I appreciate your guidance. This Thanksgiving I’m thankful for you and people like you.”
