These crimes are made possible because there is some sort freedom of expression for "Artists". Who defines art, if you torture animals in the name of "Art" or "Religion" it seems you are "Home Free". There has been an “Artproject” where a dog was starved before live audience and now there is a live horse hanging from a ceiling in an exposition room. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=56864425098
But let us take a look at our own behavior towards animals, all that is cuddly is worth our love but if it is not than a lot of people don't seem to care. I find farm animals also cuddly, but the normal person in the street stands a log distance from these animals, because these animals live mostly behind closed doors and so we munch our daily piece of meat without knowing whatever happened to that poor animal, from who a part of its body is going into your mouth. If we want to stop all animal abuse we need to stop the consumption of meat.