What are some reasons for animal abuse?

Animal abuse occurs for a wide variety of reasons, including for bolstering Propaganda of animal rights organizations, mental illness issues, a capacity to think that animals are inferior beings and do not deserve respect or concern for their well-being, because it's considered "fun" to see an animal in pain or fright, or simply an excuse to be overly aggressively dominant or to show "superiority" by being more forceful on an animal than required.

It should be noted that what some see as "abuse" is not necessarily abuse at all. An instance is the fact that a cattle producer needs to be mean to a cow to get her to stand up again. Many who are far removed from the farm see such acts as being "cruel, mean and inhumane," however little do they understand that it is crucial that such a large herbivorous animal as a cow stand up again as soon as possible because a cow can die if she remains down for an extended period of time. The same goes for hunting animals: there is no way to conserve the population of wild animals without some predatory pressure being applied to these game animals, and predatory pressure is not limited to wolves, bears, cougars, snakes, crocs and other "natural" predators, it also applies to the human predator as well. Many, again, who are far removed from the land and nature don't see it the same way and think it cruel and inhumane to hunt animals--often delving and feeling obligated to threaten the hunter with death threats and terrorist acts to not only that hunter, but that hunter's family.

Purposeful abuse and animal cruelty to animals, however, such as going on a shooting spree and leaving animals to waste or die slowly, cooking a live cat in a microwave, burning a bovine's face, and other horrid unthinkable acts are inexcusable and should never be allowed.