North Dakota, Alabama and Idaho Rank Among Worst States for Animal Protection Laws, Organization Reveals By Marina Watts

North Dakota has been ranked as the worst U.S. state for animal protection laws.

The annual U.S. State Animal Protection Laws Ranking Report, released by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, analyzes each state’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the legal safety they provide animals. Domestic violence protections, declaw bans, and rescue laws were among the factors considered when creating the new ranking of 50 states and six territories.

North Dakota had the weakest animal protection laws, followed by Alabama, Idaho, Kentucky, and Mississippi.

As for the top five with the best state animal protection laws, Oregon tops the list for the third year in a row. Massachusetts, Maine, Illinois, and Colorado round out the top five. The most improved jurisdictions were Nevada and Tennessee, both rising in their previous rankings.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund has published this report annually for 20 years, tracking progress, and several areas of improvement are worth noting since 2005.

In that time, 42 states and two territories began explicitly permitting animals to be part of “domestic violence protection orders.” Before then, no states and territories did so.

Since 2005, the number of states and territories that “require or explicitly permit” vets to report suspected animal cruelty has more than doubled, from 21 states and one territory to 44 states and two territories.

Related Stories

Trump Administration Moves to Roll Back Endangered Species and Habitat Protections

Calif. Animal Rights Activist Gets 90 Days Behind Bars for Breaking into Slaughterhouse, ‘Rescuing’ 4 Chickens

The number of jurisdictions to allow courts to “order possession bans, prohibiting convicted offenders from owning or possessing animals” has also grown since 2005, from 22 states and one territory to 42 states and four territories.

Another advancement tracked was the number of states banning the declawing of cats. The surgical procedure entails removing part of a cat’s toes. New York was the first state to prohibit this in 2019, and now six states and Washington, D.C. ban the procedure unless it is needed for a “therapeutic purpose.”

In the past year, new and updated laws have permitted law enforcement and civilians to save animals in danger, including those abandoned in hot cars and in need of food and water.

Many U.S. states, along with Guam and Washington, D.C., have laws that protect animals found in these conditions.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

In a press release, ALDF executive director Chris Green credited the “persistent hard work of animal advocacy organizations, lawmakers, and members of the public who have worked together to help create essential protections for the animals we cherish.”

The animals “all deserve the right to live free from harm,” Green added, “There’s always more to do to expand, strengthen, and enforce animal protection laws, but this report shows that momentum is on our side, and accelerating.”