Kentucky, North Dakota, Hawaii, Idaho, and Mississippi have the weakest animal protection laws in the nation, according to a report released by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) on Tuesday.

The group annually ranks U.S. states and territories according to the strength and scope of their anti-cruelty statutes. The five states designated as the worst drew low marks for their lack of felony animal cruelty provisions, inadequate animal fighting provisions, and for failing to restrict convicted abusers from future animal ownership.

"These are places where the laws are incapable of providing the legal protections that our country's animals deserve," said study author Stephan Otto.

Kentucky’s ranking atop the ALDF most lenient list troubles equine rescue operator Lori Neagle. She hopes the report will encourage authorities to enforce current anti-cruelty laws, and to adopt stiffer penalties for convicted animal abusers