Spate of inhumane abandonment of cats and kittens

There have been two cases of inhumane abandonment of cats and kittens in the Morayfield area in the last twenty four hours.

On 28 Jun 11, Inspector Travis Cooper was called to the parkland between Maurice Ave and Walker Rd, Morayfield after a female cat and her 6 kittens were spotted in a cardboard box at the base of a large gum tree.  Strangely there was a large bag of cat food and a bowl of water beside the box. The cat and kittens have been taken to RSPCA Qld’s Dakabin Shelter.

On the same day, a large adult, silver tabby, female cat, found on the side of the road (corner of Caboolture River Rd and Beacon St, Morayfield). It was imprisoned in a hessian bag tied with a cable.

The animals in both cases could have suffered a horrible fate had they not been reported and rescued.

“Sadly these cases are becoming all too familiar,” said Inspector Cooper.” Why can’t people be responsible and surrender the animals. Better still why don’t they get their animals desexed?”.

Unreasonable Abandonment is an offence under the Animal Care and Protection Act and carries heavy penalties (up to $300,000and or 1yr imprisonment) if prosecuted and found guilty.

RSPCA Qld is urging anyone who has information relating to either of these cases to please come forward. They can call the cruelty complaints hotline on 1300 852 188.

Prime Minister responds to community outrage on live exports

RSPCA Australia and Animals Australia have welcomed the announcement today by Prime Minister Julia Gillard to suspend the live cattle trade to Indonesia. The announcement follows a nationwide outpouring of rage at the airing of footage showing cattle being brutalised and tortured on ABC’s Four Corners.

For the second time in six years, an investigation by Animals Australia has exposed the brutal treatment of exported cattle and forced the Federal government to take action.  Today’s announcement of the suspension of the live trade to Indonesia follows the 2006 suspension of the live trade to Egypt.

“From the first moment of viewing this footage, I knew that suspending the trade was the only appropriate response from the government”, said RSPCA Australia Chief Scientist Dr Bidda Jones.

“While we are relieved at this announcement, it should not be forgotten that some 100,000 Australian cattle currently in Indonesia will face the same brutal treatment.  The government must immediately put inspectors in Indonesian slaughterhouses to provide these animals with at least some protection”

“If successive Australian governments had proper oversight of this industry, these cattle and the six million previously exported to Indonesia, would not have faced the horrors of Indonesian slaughterhouses.

“If the Prime Minister didn’t realise it before, she now has irrefutable evidence that the live export industry cannot be trusted.  Not even MLA’s own constituents are accepting their claims that they didn’t know what was occurring in Indonesia.   This is an industry that has made misleading the government, public and farmers an art form and animals have suffered immeasurably as a result,” said Lyn White, Animals Australia Campaign Director and cruelty investigator.

“For years, this industry supplied animals to Egypt knowing they would be brutalised and now they have been exposed as complicit in Indonesia by supplying animals to the most brutal treatment imaginable and facilitating that treatment through the installation of cruel restraint devices.

“Over the past week, Australians have voiced their overwhelming outrage and disapproval of the live trade and the government’s failure to take urgent action. The only way the Gillard government will redeem itself in the eyes of the public will be to support legislation soon to be introduced into the Federal parliament to end live export.    RSPCA Australia and Animals Australia will continue our national campaign calling for an end to all live exports”, said Ms White.

 

 

Gillard Government now COMPLICIT in cattle cruelty

Live exports – RSPCA Australia and Animals Australia statement 2 June 2011

Despite the Gillard Government now being fully aware of the brutal treatment that Australian cattle will receive in Indonesian slaughterhouses and being inundated by Australians calling for them to halt the trade to Indonesia, they are allowing a further three shipments of cattle to depart for Indonesia in coming days.

“A shipment left Darwin yesterday for Indonesia and another two shipments are due to commence loading in Broome today. This is absolutely disgraceful and makes the Gillard Government directly complicit in animal cruelty,” said Animals Australia Cruelty Investigator Lyn White.

“The first thing that Minister Ludwig would have asked this week is what shipments were on the water for Indonesia and what were due to leave. He should have seen that the industry was stockpiling cattle in Indonesia, fearful of the political repercussions of the Four Corners programme.”

Four of the largest livestock ships that ply the Australian trade and usually go to the middle East just happen to be in Indonesia at the moment.  Two other shipments departed yesterday and another two are loading today.

“By allowing animals to be rushed onto these ships the Gillard Government is now responsible for condemning up to thousands of more animals to a cruel and brutal death in Indonesia,” said RSPCA Australia Chief Scientist Dr Bidda Jones.

“Up until now the Government could use the excuse that they didn’t know, but this is no longer available to them. They are now complicit in supplying animals to cruelty. It is unforgivable that they would allow further shipments of cattle to leave our shores knowing that they will be terrorised, brutalised and even tortured in Indonesian slaughterhouses.”

Check out the campaign website for more information, and sign the petition here to show your outrage!

Please help to BAN LIVE EXPORTS

As you may or may not have seen in the news over the past two days, RSPCA and Animals Australia have been working together over the past few months to show Australia the shocking cruelty involved in the live export industry. Since the airing of the Four Corners segment on Monday, we have now reached a critical time.

If you missed the coverage and would like to view it, please click here. Please be warned what you will witness is graphic, and very disturbing.

If you could help us spread this message, we would be very grateful. In under 48 hours, over 98,000 people have signed the petition created by Get Up in support of our campaign to ban live export. We hope to achieve well over 100,000 signatures by the time the petition is presented this afternoon (June 1).

Please sign here and give a voice to these defenceless animals today.

If you want to see more from the Ban Live Export campaign, check out the website, or watch a short video on just one of millions of animals who suffer the same fate each year.

You can make a difference, and achieve justice for animals!

Sentence handed down for heinous crime against dog

Andrew Ball was sentenced last Friday to 12 months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawfully maiming a Labrador that belonged to his partner. He was released on immediate parole as he had already been on remand for 129 days.

The court heard Mr Ball had bashed the dog’s head with a blunt object, believed to be a hammer and had then inserted a long blunt instrument in the dog’s anus. The dog suffered serious internal injuries and had to be euthanased on humane grounds.

Wheelie bin cat killer sentenced

A 77 year old Brighton man appeared in Sandgate Magistrates Court this morning after pleading guilty to animal cruelty to a cat. Donald Carrington was fined $3,000, ordered to pay restitution to the cat’s owner and prosecution and court costs of the RSPCA. No conviction was recorded.

Magistrate Ray Rinaudo said the offence was reprehensible and showed a total disregard for the animal.

Carrington had trapped his neighbour’s pet cat and then drowned it in a wheelie bin. The cat was clearly identifiable as someone’s beloved pet and was wearing a “bling” collar, council tag, name tag, and a bell. It was trapped during daylight hours.

The cat was autopsied and there was bruising to the top of her head, evidence of the desperate struggle she made to get out of the cage which was immersed in water.

The cat’s owner, Usha Goode the owner of the cat was heartbroken and had just come out of hospital for a liver resection of 60% of her liver from suspected cancer.

She is a single mother with 3 children aged 3, 6 and 7 and they are all devastated about the loss of the cat.

Justice for Elf, the Christmas Day Shetland?

Pictured here is Elf, recovering at his loving foster home

Two Murphy’s Creek men were sentenced at Gatton magistrates Court today after they pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty. The charges related to an incident involving the dragging of a Shetland Pony behind a car on Christmas Day.

Andrew Cook (33) was sentenced to three months imprisonment, wholly suspended for three years. A conviction was recorded and he was ordered to pay $3,820 which was half of the restitution costs. His son, Zackery Hudson (17), was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay $3,820 in restitution. No conviction was recorded.

The court heard the pony had been dragged for three kilometers on bitumen at speeds of up to 40kph. Both men expressed remorse

Summing up, Magistrate Carroll said the pair showed reckless disregard for the pony’s welfare and this behaviour would not be tolerated.

Although, in this instance, the case was prosecuted by the Queensland Police, RSPCA Qld’s Chief Inspector Michael Pecic said the RSPCA were disappointed in the sentences.

“The Magistrate indicated that he did take the matter seriously but we don’t feel the sentences in any way met with community expectations. They certainly will not act as any deterrent.”

The Shetland Pony was named Elf by RSPCA staff after he was brought to RSPCA”s Fairfield Shelter by Inspector Tom Barrett on Christmas Day. Elf received specialised treatment at Redlands Equine Veterinary Clinic for nearly three weeks. Equine Centre and RSPCA Qld vets feel that he is healing well, although he still may have to have another operation to remove fragments of bone from his hoof.

“In over 40 years as an equine veterinarian, I believe Elf  is the toughest little horse I have seen,” said Dr David Lovell. “He arrived with 4 different problems, any one of which, in another horse, could well have been enough to bring about their demise. Not Elf! He had severe shock, abrasion wounds to eight different joints that had gone through skin and joint capsule and exposed the actual joints. Plus, worst of all, the soles of both hind feet had been ground bare and he’d developed a terrible case of laminitis. Unbelievably, all conditions have dramatically improved and Elf should be able to anticipate many years of happy healthy life.”

Elf is now in Foster Care and will soon be adopted by a charity called…wait for it… ELF! (Equine Learning for Futures.), that develops and implements equine based educational programs for disadvantaged youths and children. The charity uses horses in the in the learning process to facilitate change, positive personal growth and promote positive self esteem.

“Learning to work effectively with a flight animal takes effort and personal responsibility but the rewards are empowerment and an ability to make healthy behaviour and hence life choices,” said ELF founder Jill Strachan.

“We’re hoping to adopt Elf permanently. Eventually he’ll be taking part in the training programs but until he recovers completely he’ll be staying at my property where he’ll be stable mates with a 17 hand thoroughbred.”

“If all goes well this could be a perfect life for Elf,” said RSPCA Qld Senior Veterinarian Dr Anne Chester. “After all he’s been through, we’re all praying that this really will turn out to be the ultimate happy ending.”

RSPCA applauds animal cruelty sentence hikes!

RSPCA Queensland has congratulated the State Government on its move to increase the penalties for animal cruelty.  Under new legislation the maximum penalty for people who deliberately inflict severe pain or suffering on animals will more than triple. A new offence of serious animal cruelty will carry a maximum penalty of 7 years jail.

“Once again it shows that this Government is taking the issue of animal cruelty seriously and is prepared to listen to community feedback,” said RSPCA Qld CEO Mark Townend. “The links between animal cruelty and other forms of violence and abuse are well recognised now and it’s time that the sentences handed down by the courts reflected this. Animal cruelty is often a precursor to even greater violence and that surely is a concern for all Queenslanders.”

“The new legislation will mean that may of the gaps that exist in the Criminal Code in relation to the prosecution of people for offences against any animal will be blocked and that’s great news. However there are some technicalities in relation to prosecutions that still need to be worked out and we look forward to working with the Government on these.”

Elf is recovering well

Elf recovering well with his loving foster carer, Jill

Named Elf by RSPCA staff after he was brought to RSPCA”s Fairfield Shelter by Inspector Tom Barrett, Elf received specialised treatment at Redlands Equine Veterinary Clinic for over two weeks. Equine Centre vets and RSPCA Qld vets feel that he is healing well, although he still may have to have another operation to remove fragments of bone from his hoof.

“In over 40 years as an equine veterinarian, I believe Elf  is the toughest little horse I have seen,” said Dr David Lovell. “He arrived with 4 different problems, any one of which, in another horse, could well have been enough to bring about their demise. Not Elf! He had severe shock, abrasion wounds to eight different joints that had gone through skin and joint capsule and exposed the actual joints. Plus, worst of all, the soles of both hind feet had been ground bare and he’d developed a terrible case of laminitis. Unbelievably, all conditions have dramatically improved and Elf should be able to anticipate many years of happy healthy life.”
Elf is now in Foster Care with a charity called…wait for it… ELF! (Equine Learning for Futures.), that develops and implements equine based educational programs for disadvantaged youths and children. The charity uses horses in the in the learning process to facilitate change, positive personal growth and promote positive self esteem.

“Learning to work effectively with a flight animal takes effort and personal responsibility but the rewards are empowerment and an ability to make healthy behaviour and hence life choices,” said ELF founder Jill Strachan.

“We’re hoping to adopt Elf permanently. Eventually he’ll be taking part in the training programs but until he recovers completely he’ll be staying at my property where he’ll be stable mates with a 17 hand thoroughbred.”

“If all goes well this could be a perfect life for Elf,” said RSPCA Qld Senior Veterinarian Dr Anne Chester. “After all he’s been through, we’re all praying that this really will turn out to be the ultimate happy ending.”