9 November 2005

RNZSPCA: Fifty Reasons For Shame

SPCA ISSUES ANNUAL LIST OF ANIMAL ABUSE CASES

(See Attachment)

The Royal New Zealand SPCA has issued its third annual ‘List of Shame’, including 50 examples of animal abuse occurring in the first ten months of 2005.

Amongst the cases listed are those of a Whangarei cat who suffered a slow and painful death after being poisoned with radiator coolant, of two Huntly teenagers who poured solvent on three cats, set them on fire and left them to die, of live ducks thrown around like rugby balls by children in Rotorua and of a dog from Levin found headless, mutilated and partly skinned in a plastic bag, along with a knife and fork.

The List of Shame is being issued during the SPCA’s annual appeal, which lasts until 13th November. The Society urges all New Zealanders who truly care about animals to help it stamp out animal abuse by contributing to its ‘Paws Appeal’. “The list is not a comprehensive account of all the many ways in which animals suffer as a result of human cruelty or indifference. It includes some of the worst cases that have come to our attention, as well as a representative sample of the types of incident with which we deal regularly,” says the Royal New Zealand SPCA’s National Chief Executive, Robyn McDonald.

“Each one of these 50 cases is shameful. Taken together, they provide a troubling and, in many cases, horrifying insight into the mindsets of some of our fellow humans,” she says, adding that the new List of Shame confirms a disturbing trend also evident in last year’s list, for children and young people to be heavily involved in animal abuse.

“If we want to make sure our children grow into caring, compassionate and responsible adults, a good way to start is to teach them to treat animals with kindness and respect. We have already made significant steps in this direction, appointing our first National Education Manager. We also have two major campaigns planned for 2006 which will bring animal education to children. This is the most important part of our work.

The SPCA depends entirely on donations. People wishing to contribute to the ‘Paws Appeal’ can either send a donation in the envelope mailed to their household, donate to a local street collection or dial the SPCA’s special appeal number 0900 97772. All monies raised by local SPCA branches will be used locally to promote animal welfare and fight cruelty.

LIST OF SHAME

(January- October 2005)

January

- A Whangarei cat suffers a slow and painful death after being poisoned with radiator coolant

-A Greymouth man repeatedly kicks his pit bull terrier-cross, after the dog chews a leather motor cycle seat

- Near Richmond, a man picks up a puppy by her collar and lead, swings her twice round his head and slams her into the bonnet of his vehicle

- A cat from Te Puke requires a leg amputation after being shot with a slug gun

- Two emaciated dogs are found on a property in the Auckland suburb of Mangere. The ears of one of the dogs are covered in flies and bleeding from fly-bite

February

- A dog from Levin, is found by her owners in a plastic bag, headless and mutilated. The Jack Russell terrier’s body is partially skinned. Her head has been bashed in, her stomach cut open and her intestines pulled out. A knife and fork are also found in the bag

- In Waipukurau, a kitten dies of a broken back and severe head injuries, after being thrown, kicked and stomped by two young children

- A Whakatane schoolboy kills a kitten in front of fellow pupils, smashing the kitten’s skull

- At Ahipara in Northland, a puppy is severely kicked and subsequently dies from a ruptured liver

- Two neglected pit-bull dogs are found on a property in the Auckland suburb of Clendon. Both dogs have a skin condition, are scab-ridden and have lost almost all their hair

March

- Two lop-eared rabbits from Christchurch are killed by trespassers onto their owners’ property. The intruders break the rabbits’ necks

- An airgun bullet paralyses an Orewa cat in his rear legs and back

- Youths catch eels live from a creek near Christchurch, line them up on a road and “play wheelies” over them in motor vehicles

- Near Whananaki North in Northland, a neglected cow is found with a horn growing into the side of her face

- In four separate incidents, the bodies of missing cats are found on a railway track in Feilding. Evidence points to the cats being already dead when placed on the track

- In Waikanae, a labrador is discovered kept in a pen of the same length as his body. Prevented from running or even walking, the dog has taken to gnawing away at his front paws, which are raw to the bone

April

- Two Huntly teenagers pour solvent over three cats, set them on fire and leave them to die

- Two severely emaciated dogs are discovered on a rural property near Kawakawa, tied-up without shelter or water. One of the dogs is too weak to walk. The emaciated body of a third dog is also found on the property

- SPCA inspectors seize seven kittens from a residential property in the Wellington suburb of Miramar. Three of the kittens are emaciated and three have ruptured eyes resulting from an untreated infection. A further kitten has conjunctivitis

- In Hokitika, an SPCA inspector finds a five-month-old puppy with a deeply imbedded synthetic rope around its neck. The wound caused by the rope is infected and rotting

May

- In Wellington, a nine week-old cat is found nailed to the top palings of a fence. The cat’s stomach has been cut open and its entrails are hanging over its head

- The mutilated bodies of six puppies are discovered in a car parked at a house in Blenheim

- A wounded and severely emaciated dog is found on a property near Kaitaia. An examination suggests his spine was broken and pelvis crushed an estimated eight weeks earlier. The owner had not sought veterinary care

- A Northland goat is discovered in a severely emaciated condition. The goat is so weak that she has lost the will to eat. Her owner says he had “forgotten” where she was tethered

June

- A cat is shot, thrown in a box and left to die at a Motueka rubbish tip. Staff find the five-year-old cat covered in blood

- A pit bull terrier-cross is discovered strangled near Blenheim

- A Masterton man repeatedly beats a dog, blaming her for the deaths of five of her ten puppies. Despite the harsh winter weather, the man had kept the puppies in a soaking wet trailer

- A cat’s front paw requires urgent amputation, after she is found in a gin trap near Greymouth. The cat is severely malnourished and dehydrated. She is estimated to have been trapped for at least two weeks. Her injured paw has rotted and atrophied

- At Maungatapere in Northland, a goat is found chained by his horns, large parts of which are missing

- A severely malnourished dog contracts hypothermia and is found in a collapsed state in Porirua

July

- In Alexandra, a cat is thrown out of the window of a moving car

- A family out walking on a beach near Oamaru discovers the body of a large dog, which has been shot in the head. The dog’s hind legs are bound together
- A German shepherd-cross is shot, tethered to a concrete block and thrown off a bridge near Blenheim

- An emaciated pit bull terrier and her nine puppies are rescued by the SPCA from a property in the Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe

August

- A hole is drilled into the throat of a Hutt Valley fox terrier and stuffed with tar. The dog’s flesh is shaved to the bone and she is stored in a car boot and freezer

- Two Hutt Valley cats disappear. One of them returns home with a dislocated jaw. The cats’ owner is told that the return of the other cat will cost $100. She provides part of this sum but the cat is not returned

- The police sergeant prosecuting the case of two Huntly teenagers who poured solvent over three cats and set them alight, finds his own family’s cat ripped in half and dumped in the police station car park

- In Hamilton, two adult cats and a kitten are soaked in turpentine. They survive but require treatment for fume inhalation and tongue blisters, as well as for acute stomach upsets

- A sheep on a farm near Nelson is shot with a crossbow bolt

- A Wanganui cat returns home so badly burned that her owner fails to recognise her. Most of her skin is gone and her toes burnt off

September

- In Motueka, a young boy attacks a group of week-old calves. One of the calves is found with blood coming out of its nose, a second with an eye out of its socket and a third with head injuries

- A group of Rotorua children terrorise the ducks behind their school, throwing them around like balls. Three ducklings and their mother are killed. Observers describe the children as “playing rugby” with the ducks

- A fluffy white rabbit, is found decapitated in the garden of the Te Aroha family which is looking after him

- A puppy from near Whangarei sustains permanent muscle injuries and a dislocated jaw as a result of an amateur attempt to stitch-up a facial wound

October

- An elderly Dunedin cat is kicked approximately a metre into the air

- An Oamaru kitten is discovered with a broken rib and the tops of its ears chopped-off. The kitten is so terrified that it trembles and wets itself when humans approach

- A wild horse is found shot, beheaded and gutted on a back road near Kaitangata in Otago

- In Hamilton, a mother duck and three ducklings are killed and five other ducks injured when two boys mount a slingshot attack

- Two Tapanui cats go missing and return to their homes with gin traps attached. One of the cats requires a leg amputation

- A wounded dog is found tied-up and abandoned behind a remote quarry in rural Southland. The dog has a fractured jaw, is dehydrated and underweight

ENDS

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