When Values Are Violated: Understanding Moral Injury in Animal Care
In the world of animal care, compassion fatigue has long been recognized as a challenge—stemming from the emotional toll of witnessing suffering and being under-resourced while carrying the weight of responsibility for creatures who depend on us. But it’s time we begin discussing another reality within this field: moral injury.
Back in 2019, while completing my doctorate, I began researching moral injury among military populations for my dissertation. Needless to say, the demands of conducting independent research and crafting a several-hundred-page dissertation taught me a great deal about the subject. However, I didn’t anticipate how this knowledge would reappear later in my life—in the realm of animal care.
As I began working with a caseload full of clients exposed to animal-related trauma, volunteering in animal shelters, and pursuing a post-graduate certificate in Veterinary Social Work, those many hundreds of hours of study kept resurfacing. I noticed parallels between the moral injury I had investigated in military populations and what I was observing in animal care.
So, despite the personal time and financial costs involved, I initiated another IRB-approved research study—this time focusing on moral injury in animal care workers. The findings have (nearly) fully supported my hypotheses: moral injury is a distinct issue in animal care, and it’s time we address it as such.
What Is Moral Injury?
Unlike compassion fatigue, which is comprised of burnout and secondary traumatic stress, moral injury is a condition that results from values-based violations. You entered the field of animal protection and welfare because you wanted to honor values that you hold about the worth of these animals and our responsibility to care for them. Yet, by entering this field, you inevitably have also encountered just as many (or possibly more) situations that have simultaneously violated those same (or other) values. These are the realities that leave us susceptible to moral injury.
Litz and colleagues define moral injury as:
"Perpetrating, failing to prevent, or bearing witness to acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations."
Moral injury occurs when someone witnesses or is forced to take—or is complicit in—actions that conflict with their moral or ethical beliefs. However, just like other forms of trauma, not all morally distressing events lead to moral injury. It is natural to feel moral pain in response to value violations; this reaction is part of being human.
The challenge we have is recognizing the potential for intensifying moral distress, especially as we experience cumulative exposures. The key is for us to learn to recognize when this normal moral pain transitions into something more damaging—what we label as moral injury. This shift can result in long-term emotional, psychological, behavioral, spiritual, and social harm, often marked by feelings of guilt, shame, or powerlessness.
Sources of Moral Injury in Animal Care
Potentially morally injurious events (pMIEs) are the exposures or situations that can lead to moral injury. While there are many sources of pMIEs to explore, I want to focus on a major one that distinguishes moral injury from other commonly discussed challenges in animal care: interpersonal conflict and public scorn.
This was a key hypothesis in my research. In military contexts, identifying “the enemy” can create dramatic shifts in decision-making about appropriate actions. I hypothesized that parallels exist in animal care: the societal expectation that animal care workers should always be able to prioritize the well-being of animals, even in impossible situations, often creates an unrealistic standard that conflicts with the realities of the profession, such as overburdened systems, financial constraints, and organizational policies.
Then, not only are animal care workers met with their own trauma and loss from these circumstances, but they are also blamed and threatened for not being able to do something different to achieve different, more favorable, outcomes. These accusations and this public scorn directed toward animal care workers—often from the very community they are trying to help—exacerbate the values violations experienced and are a major source of felt betrayal. This dissonance between external expectations and internal realities can create confusion about who the “enemy” is, leading to feelings of inadequacy, guilt, anger, and moral injury.
These circumstances, too, are not rare in animal care. Here are some findings from my research:
72.3% of animal care workers reported receiving threats or accusations from the public at least several times per year (7% experience this daily).
83.1% interact with verbally aggressive members of the public at least several times per year.
This societal and interpersonal dynamic is a significant contributor to moral injury outcomes and is one of many morally violative events that position it as a distinct issue in the field.
Why Addressing Moral Injury Matters
Unaddressed moral injury can lead to burnout, depression, and even withdrawal from the field altogether. But the impact doesn’t stop at the individual level—it affects teams, organizations, communities, and ultimately, the animals themselves. When animal caregivers are grappling with internal moral wounds, their ability to provide optimal care is compromised.
While compassion fatigue leaves caregivers emotionally drained, moral injury often results in deep emotional wounds tied to guilt, shame, and moral conflict. These wounds can shift one’s worldview, affecting every aspect of life. Recognizing and addressing moral injury is essential for creating a sustainable, healthy environment in animal care.
This is not about diminishing the importance of compassion fatigue; it’s about broadening our understanding of the challenges animal care workers face. As we seek to deepen our understanding of moral injury, this enhanced awareness can highlight the ethical complexities of the field and can prompt deeper questions about how we can support animal caregivers and create environments where their values can thrive.
By addressing moral injury, we not only care for those who care for animals but also ensure better outcomes for the animals themselves.
What’s Next?
The good news is that by distinguishing symptoms and conditions like compassion fatigue and moral injury, we can tailor solutions and interventions accordingly.
This blog is just one step in increasing awareness and validating the experiences of animal care workers. But there’s much more to be done. I’m continuing my research, analyzing data, and expanding the conversation. This year has included extensive research, presenting my findings at an international conference, and developing curriculum specific to addressing moral injury in animal care. I look forward to releasing more resources in 2025.
Until then, my hope is to normalize your experiences. The challenges you face go beyond compassion fatigue. This work requires entering ethically and morally challenging situations every single day. Feeling like your values have been violated is incredibly difficult, but there is hope, and there are ways forward.
More resources are coming, and I’m committed to continuing this journey alongside you.
If this resonates with you or someone you know, let’s continue the conversation. Your experience matters.