In early 2025, Animal Outlook released an investigation into live animal markets in San Francisco, documenting widespread animal cruelty that appears to violate California laws. This includes: Frogs being beheaded without prior stunning; A turtle struck with a mallet, their legs moving in response to being cut apart; Fish being bludgeoned multiple times and butchered; Animals kept in cramped conditions likely to cause injury; Live frogs and fish being placed in plastic bags; Crabs confined in a cardboard box; A turtle unsuccessfully attempting to escape; Live fish falling onto the street during unloading from a truck.

Animal Outlook is urging the San Francisco Department of Animal Care and Control (SFACC) to take action against this abuse and hold those responsible accountable. Specifically, we believe the recordings prove violations of several California laws, including (1) California’s general cruelty law, California Penal Code § 597; and (2) California’s live market law, California Penal Code § 597.3.

Animal Outlook has been working with SFACC since it first investigated the city's live animal markets in 2022 to try to bring enforcement against these blatant animal cruelty violations. But despite pervasive animal suffering in live markets, so far, SFACC has issued just one citation for animal cruelty.

For more information visit https://animaloutlook.org/investigations/