Tennessee becomes first state to launch animal abuse registry

NASHVILLE, TN (KTRK) -- All states in the U.S. have online sex offender registries. But now one officially has a registry for animal abusers.

On January 1, Tennessee became the first state in the country to launch an animal abuse registry. By law, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will post online a list of people convicted on or after that date of aggravated animal cruelty, felony animal fighting, or bestiality and related offenses.

For the first offense, the name and photo stay up for two years. On any subsequent offense, they go on the list for five years.