Bestiality

Alice,

I have read about men and women having sex with animals, e.g., dogs (Women On Top, by Nancy Friday, Simon & Schuster, 1991). Apart from it being against the law (I think), are there medical reasons why this is not a good idea? For example, are there STDs that can be passed from animals to humans? Are there immunological consequences from depositing sperm into the vagina of another species? Is this kind of sex common?

--Sheep herder

Dear Sheep herder,

Humans having sex with animals, otherwise called bestiality or zoophilia, is fairly uncommon, or uncommon to tell the researchers, in this century. It is thought that when more people lived on farms and in rural areas, the practice of having sexual relations with animals was much more common. Most people who have sex with animals are men, but there have been some documented cases of women caressing and stimulating animals in an attempt to insert the penis of a dog or horse into their vagina.

Human sexual relationships with animals have been a topic of interest for people for hundreds of years. Tales of human-animal contact can be found throughout ancient folklore and mythology. A good example is the story of Zeus, who in the form of a swan, had sexual intercourse with Leda, the queen of Sparta. William Butler Yeats used this story as background for a famous poem. Greek and Roman mythology have portrayed females having sexual relationships with bears, apes, bulls, goats, horses, wolves, snakes, and crocodiles. Humans have enjoyed rich sexual fantasies throughout the ages, sometimes including the fantastic and the unreal.

Fact: Of the almost 6000 people females interviewed for the Kinsey comprehensive 1953 study on sexuality, only three reported that they had had sexual intercourse with an animal, two as preadolescents with dogs, and only one as an adult. Another study done in 1974 found no women who had experienced intercourse with an animal (Hunt). The percentages of adult human females who have had any type of sexual contact with animals are low -- 3.6 percent in the Kinsey study, and 1.9 percent in the Hunt sample. The animals involved were most commonly dogs and cats, and the sexual activities most often reported were general body contacts with the animals, and cunnilingus performed by animals.

Male animal contacts are more common, although the total percentages still remain quite low. Eight percent of Kinsey's sample brought themselves to the point of orgasm with an animal, and 4.9 percent of Hunt's sample did. Male sexual contacts with animals were more common among rural farm dwellers than urban boys. Coitus was the most common sexual activity, usually with animals, such as calves, sheep, and burros. For both males and females, their encounters with animals were most likely to have occurred before puberty, and to have been sporadic encounters with little consequence on the people's sexual development.

Historically, taboos against human-animal contact have been quite severe. As recently as 1953, 49 states regarded bestiality as a felony or its equivalent. In eight states, the maximum penalty was life imprisonment. Many such laws remain the same to this day.


Sex with animals and STDs?
(1)
Alice,

I recently had intercourse with a sheep at a friend's house. He is a sheeprancher and one day he was talking about how good it was. He left town for a few days and asked me to feed his animals. I took the chance and gave it a try. The strange thing is that I enjoyed it more than having sex with my girlfriend. When I was a young lad I was molested by a female babysitter. I was wondering if you may think that the earlier incident in my life has affected my sexuality. I liked it so much that I want to do it again, but I am worried that I may contract a STD from the ewe. I have heard that you can.

Could you please help me?

Sincerely,
Woody

(2)
Hi Alice,

I read your answer to "Sheep Herder" concerning beastiality. While it was a stimulating discussion, it did not answer the question concerning STDs being passed from animals to humans. I really need to know.

Goldilocks.

Dear Woody and Goldilocks,

STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), including HIV, cannot be transmitted through sexual contact between humans and animals because they are species-specific. If you remain concerned about potential disease risk in general, follow safer-sex guidelines - such as wearing a condom - in all of your sexual encounters.

Here's something else to consider: it's virtually impossible for animals to consent to sex with humans, and these acts are illegal in most places. If animals become the focus of one's sexual attention and activity (as you've hinted they might for you, Woody), it's time to call a mental health counselor in your area to explore what's on your mind: concerns, motivations, etc. Still with you, Woody: confusion, fears, mistrust, anger, or anything else you might feel about the sexual abuse you experienced earlier in your life is reason enough to pick up the phone for some assistance regardless of what behaviors it may or may not be triggering now. (For more on help in this area, see Resources for male survivors of childhood sexual abuse and incest in Alice's Emotional Health archive.)

As with other uncommon, taboo, and/or illegal activities, sexual contacts with animals might be stimulating for some people because they are secretive, forbidden, and dangerous. An animal doesn't "kiss and tell," nor do his or her expectations "get in the way."


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