Animal abuse in NZ: Call for law changes as pets found with 'lungs full of meth'
Tuesday, 11 June 2019
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
Campaigners have called for a public register to name and shame offenders to combat an 'animal abuse epidemic' in New Zealand.
Eight different animal welfare organisations have joined together to push for tougher laws, adding that they'd seen cases of animals with 'lungs full of methamphetamine'.
Marlborough Dog Pawz, Husky Rescue NZ, Furever Homes, Helping You Help Animals Trust (HUHA), Chained Dog Awareness NZ, Saving Hope Foundation, One By One Rescue NZ and Bay of Island Animal Rescue also said more than half of the animals they rescued had come from homes where there was domestic violence.
The organisations said they hoped changes to the law - including the introduction of a public register of animal abusers - could make a difference.
**READ MORE:
* Southland man's 88000 signature petition aims to deter animal abuse
* Pet Refuge aims to help victims of domestic violence escape
* SPCA prosecutes woman in 'worst case' of animal hoarding, 32 cats seized
* Cat de-sexing fund creation hailed as 'a game changer'**
Marlborough Dog Pawz co‐founder Michelle Madsen said many of the cases volunteers had found concerning were deemed acceptable under current legislation.
In one such case, a 7-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier named Minnie was found tangled on a chain. The dog was injured.
The shelters said they called the SPCA, which called animal control. They said they had supplied authorities with video evidence, call logs and reports but no action was taken.
Eventually, Minnie was euthanised due to the mental trauma she suffered.
Carolyn Press‐McKenzie, founder of HUHA, said animals were often being left to suffer as the SPCA opted to educate their owners rather than remove the animals.
She and the other animal welfare advocates wanted to see all pet owners licensed and desexing made compulsory, a public register of convicted animal abusers to be set up to hold them accountable and backyard breeding and 'puppy mills' to be banned.
The SPCA has backed some of the proposed changes.
However, the charity's chief executive Andrea Midgen said, ultimately, a shift in attitudes was needed to reduce rates of animal abuse.
New Zealand has the highest rate of domestic violence in the OECD and data showed human and animal abuse were linked, she said.
'If we could change one of those [issues] it will have impact on the other.'
Research published by the University of Otago last month showed the SPCA prosecuted 62 of the 15,584 complaints it received in the 2017 to 2018 year.
The group of shelters said the figures showed the SPCA was failing to take action against animal abuse.
But Midgen said prosecution was not always the best way to deal with cases of abuse or neglect.
Taking someone to court was an expensive and lengthy process.
'Often it's much better to educate the person so that they learn what it is that they've done wrong and don't reoffend,' Midgen said.
She added that the SPCA had limited powers under the Animal Welfare Act.
'What's unacceptable and what's illegal are two different things often. A really good example is chained dogs. Constantly chaining your dog up is sadly not illegal. What is illegal is if you don't provide food, shelter, water and exercise to that dog. That's what we can act upon. We can't actually act upon if someone has chained their dog up all the time.'
The SPCA supported banning 'puppy farming' (mass and unethical breeding), the compulsory licensing of all breeders and making desexing pets mandatory.
It was also not opposed to the introduction of a public register for animal abusers and compulsory licensing of pet owners, although Midgen questioned how effective those measures would be.
The registration of dogs was already compulsory, but not everyone complied, she said.