Alabama no longer feeling sheepish about their lack of bestiality laws

The Alabama State Senate voted 20-1 on Thursday to make bestiality (zoophilia) a misdemeanor criminal offense punishable  by up to one year in jail, AL.com reported.

Sponsored by Sen. Tom Whatley (R), Senate Bill 151 would criminalize sexual contact with animals, with exemptions for acceptable animal husbandry and veterinarian practices.

The lone dissenting vote cast was not in opposition to the bill, but is instead part of a procedural maneuver used in the state legislature allowing a vote on a previous bill to be used for the next bill up for a vote.

Bestiality is currently still legal in Texas, Hawaii, Kentucky, Virginia, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Vermont, West Virginia, Montana,Wyoming and the District of Columbia.

The bill now goes before the Alabama House for approval.

[Image: "Sheeps In A Meadow In The Mountains," via Shutterstock]