Eliot Spitzer's legacy: no animal electrocution

Quiz: What was one of the last things New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer did before he resigned in disgrace, implicated in a prostitution ring? If you guessed "outlawed animal electrocution," you're right.

Spitzer in March signed into law a ban on the electrocution of animals in a particularly gruesome way to harvest their fur, making New York the first state in the nation to combat the practice, the Associated Press reports.

It looks like no one took notice until now. (Maybe the New York press had other things to cover).

The law bans the practice of anal and genital electrocution of fur-bearing animals, including mink, foxes, chinchillas and rabbits. The misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail.

National animal rights advocates on Wednesday said they hope it will force similar measures in other states.

--Tony Barboza

Comments

[J Graff Fisher]

This was a particularly gruesome method of killing animals for their fur. I'm really happy it was outlawed. Good for you, Spitzer.