Ian Robertson, a New Zealand veterinarian and lawyer specializing in animal law, wrote a peer-reviewed commentary that considers the responsibilities of veterinarians to report suspected abuse of both animals and people. Robertson suggests that veterinarians adopt a policy of mandatory reporting contingent upon also having legislated immunity from civil and criminal prosecution for making such reports. The article reports that 63 percent of New Zealand veterinarians have seen deliberate animal abuse; and that 4 percent knew of, and 12 percent suspected, that human abuse also occurred within the families of the abused animals.