A group of senior lawyers is calling for higher maximum sentences in cases of extreme animal cruelty.
The pro bono "panel of prosecutors", which offers free legal services to the Auckland SPCA, said higher sentences would send a clear message that violence against animals was unacceptable.
The panel was setup in April to help the SPCA meet the costs of prosecutions.
Panel member David Jones, QC, said sentences imposed in cases of extreme animal abuse fell considerably short of the maximum penalty.
While the law allowed for sentences of up to three years' jail, the longest sentence imposed was 12 months, which was subsequently reduced to 10.
Actual sentences would increase if the maximum penalty was raised to five years, Mr Jones told the Auckland Law Society newsletter Law News.
"This would add to the effectiveness of animal welfare legislation and bring home to the public that animal cruelty is not acceptable."
Fellow panel member Mike Heron said recent cases of horrific animal cruelty had resulted in relatively light sentences.
"I think there is a sound argument for bringing the length of some animal cruelty sentences closer to those for violence against humans."
The public questioned why sentences did not reflect those given in cases of cruelty to humans, he said.
For the past seven years the SPCA has aimed to raise public awareness of animal cruelty with its annual List of Shame, which this year detailed 52 "deeply disturbing" instances of severe animal abuse.
More recent instances of animal abuse have shocked animal lovers.
A nailgun attack on a cat in Christchurch last month was described by the SPCA as one of the worst cases of animal cruelty it had encountered.
The dead cat was found with a dozen 85mm nails in its head.
In August, South Auckland man Paea Taufa was found cooking his pet dog in a backyard barbecue.
Mr Taufa was not prosecuted because the dog had been killed humanely.
