23 February 2007

Increase Of Prosecutions For Animal Cruelty

Three separate incidents of animal cruelty have reached their conclusion in the Manukau Courts in the last two days. In all three cases, five year bans for owning animals were handed down to the offenders.

Brendan Ngaruhe and Monique Tawhai pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to provide animals with proper and sufficient food and water. In addition to the ban, they were ordered to do 50 hours community service and pay reparations of $870 to the Auckland SPCA.

Their two dogs, a pitbull cross and a rottweiler cross, were both found to be not only close to starvation, but also with severe cases of worms. Both animals were attempting to feed puppies. What was especially disturbing about this case is that the Auckland SPCA's inspector had endeavoured to work with these people by advising on a feeding regime to improve their animals' conditions but the owners failed to take this advice. The dogs were literally starving to death. The rottweiler cross bitch and her seven puppies were eventually able to be rehomed after being nursed back to health and normal weight while under Auckland SPCA's care. The pitbull bitch and her puppy were humanely euthanased.

Taani Haiane was found guilty of failing to ensure his Rottweiler cross received treatment that alleviated unnecessary pain or distress. The dog had an extremely large abscess causing its front leg to swell four or five times larger than normal. If appropriate veterinary treatment had been given when the first signs of pain were shown, the dog could have been saved. Haiane was also fined $450, ordered to pay $130 court costs and $466.75 reparation.

In the third case, a Staffordshire bull terrier cross was found collapsed, and died only seven minutes after being brought into the SPCA's animal hospital. The main cause of death was parvo, a particularly painful condition, and the dog also had a severe case of mange which was being treated by the owner, Robert Allen Tuporo, with motor oil. Tuporo was fined $500 and ordered to pay $130 court costs and reparation of $276.47 as well as receiving a five year ban from owning animals.

"These prosecutions reflect the tougher line we are taking towards animal cruelty and abuse" said Auckland SPCA's CEO, Bob Kerridge. "There were no excuses in all these cases."

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