Öz
Recently, increasing news on the agenda about human-induced cruel treatments against animals has observed. This situation caused reactions in society. These reactions focused on the need for punishments for people who treat cruelly against animals. At this point, amendments have demanded to be made in both the Law on Animal Protection Numbered 5199 (AP) and the Law on Turkish Penal Numbered 5237 (TP). In this way, punishment for cruel treatments to animals as a crime has aimed. According to the current legislation, some of the cruel treatments against animals have been regulated within the scope of crimes against property. Many of the cruel treatments against animals have been regulated as administrative offences in the AP. This situation could be considered as the right choice in terms of the principle of ultima ratio. On the other hand, it is also possible to say that the required competence could not be achieved in terms of preventing cruel treatment against animals. This study discusses who could be the victim where the act of cruel treatment against animals has regulated as a crime. In this context, when the opinions in the doctrine regarding the concept of the victim in the general crime theory have examined, it has concluded that the victim is not the animal but the society, on the condition that crimes against property have excluded.