Zoophilia
Overview
Zoophilia is the paraphilia in which a person becomes sexually aroused by fantasizing about or engaging in sexual contact with an animal. Sex with animals is commonly known as "bestiality." Zoophilia is generally considered non-consensual sex because animals cannot give consent or may not realize what they are doing. Sexual acts with animals may also harm the animal because there may be no way for the animal to communicate it is being injured. Some zoophiliacs drug, tie down or use food to coerce animals into having sex with them. Bestiality is considered a form of animal cruelty and is illegal in many parts of the world.
Reasons for Engaging in Bestiality
Individuals may engage in bestiality because they have difficulty forming normal relationships with humans. Many beast lovers lose or have never had a desire to have sex with humans. Alternatively, the animal may be used as a sex toy and enjoyed because it provides sensations similar to human sexual stimulation. In this instance, the animal is not viewed as a loving partner but as an animated object that can be abused for sexual gratification.
For the most part, zoophiliacs consider having sex with animals to be a loving act. However most people consider that animals are too uninformed to make decisions about having sex with a human, in much the same way children are too immature to make an informed decision about having sex with others.
Both men and women can be zoophiliacs. Most males with zoophilia tend to direct their activities to farm animals, such as goats, horses, and cows