SPCA Chief Executive Andrea Midgen said 2018 was a particularly cruel year for some of New Zealand's animals, with two of the worst cases of abuse in Northland.
SPCA Chief Executive Andrea Midgen said 2018 was a particularly cruel year for some of New Zealand's animals, with two of the worst cases of abuse in Northland.
Two cases of animal cruelty in Northland are on the SPCA's annual animal abuse list of shame.
The SPCA said 2018 was a particularly cruel year for some of New Zealand's animals, with its inspectors seeing many cases of intense neglect and extreme violence towards animals.
The annual SPCA Listof Shame is the culmination of these and features 15 of the very worst cases SPCA has investigated and prosecuted over the past year.
Two of the cases were in Northland - one in Whangārei and the other in Te Kopuru.
SPCA Chief Executive Andrea Midgen said The List of Shame will shock.
''2018 was a particularly cruel year for some of New Zealand's animals with SPCA Inspectors seeing many cases of intense neglect and extreme violence towards animals.
"SPCA Annual Appeal is our biggest fundraising event of the year, which is why it's so important for the public to get onboard and help put an end to animal cruelty in our country."
Whangārei woman Iris Riki, 55 was sentenced to community work in November and banned from owning dogs after her Neapolitan mastiff cross Goliath was found emaciated with protruding ribs, vertebrae, pelvic bones and a loss of muscle mass.
Riki was found guilty in the Whangārei District Court of failing to ensure the physical health and behavioural needs of an animal were being met.
She was sentenced to 150 hours' community work and ordered to pay $782.70 reparations and $300 court costs. She was also disqualified from owning dogs for three years.
Northland features twice in the annual SPCA animal abuse List of Shame, with both involving abuse of dogs. While Haze was rehomed after his owner deliberately starved him and two other dogs...
The case began when SPCA Inspectors visited her property and found Goliath chained to a running wire. The yard was very overgrown and Goliath had a picnic table tilted on its side for shelter. He had no access to water.
He was thin with hair loss over all four legs and fly bitten ears.
SPCA Inspectors advised Riki that Goliath had lost too much weight and to provide him with adequate shelter and treatment for his skin.
SPCA Inspectors followed up with the defendant twice and on the second visit found the dog tangled around his running wire, unable to reach his shelter. He had lost a significant amount of weight and an eye appeared to be infected.
...Goliath, had to be put down after his Whangārei owner left him chained up with no access to water.
After a year in SPCA's care, Goliath developed several malignant tumours throughout his body and on a veterinarian's recommendation, he was euthanised.
In the Te Kopuru case, Te Wira Panapa was convicted of ill-treatment of an animal and sentenced to two months' community detention, ordered to pay reparations of $1845 and court costs of $500.
He was also disqualified from owning dogs for five years after he was found to have deliberately starved his three dogs, Tama, Big Boy and Haze.
After being rescued by SPCA, veterinary examination showed that Tama, Big Boy and Haze were all emaciated with bones visible and loss of muscle mass.
The vet said the dogs were suffering severe pain due to starvation, likely for several weeks.
Under the care of SPCA, all dogs reached their ideal weight. Unfortunately, although Tama and Big Boy healed physically, the trauma of their experience left them aggressive.
Despite the best efforts of SPCA, they were unable to be rehabilitated and vets had no choice but to euthanise them. Haze was adopted by a loving family.
The full list, released today, details 15 of the worst cases of animal abuse and neglect prosecuted by SPCA over the last 12 months, and also includes German Shepherds rescued from an abhorrent puppy mill, a kitten left to die in a rubbish bin, and chronic neglect of a pony which was left unable to stand and assessed at the highest end of pain scales.
The SPCA List of Shame comes ahead of its Annual Appeal Week from March 4-10.
