Cows left 17 days without water, feed

By TONY GEE

Dehydrated cattle left on a Far North grazing property with no water and little feed for 17 days were seen licking the inside of rubber tyres in search of water, an SPCA inspector told the Kaitaia District Court.

The animals also sought drops of water by kicking up and licking a black polythene wrapping sheet, and fought each other to get water when they were moved to a different paddock after the SPCA intervened, the inspector said.

Before the court yesterday was the owner of the cattle, 41-year-old lawn-mowing contractor Stuart Edward Dobson.

He admitted a charge laid under the Animal Welfare Act of failing to ensure that the physical health and behavioural needs of 10 Hereford cattle and three calves were met.

Judge H. M. Simpson sentenced Dobson to 300 hours' community work and disqualified him from owning or controlling cattle for two years. He must also pay $215 costs to the SPCA.

Bay of Islands SPCA inspector and prosecutor Jim Boyd said Dobson grazed the cattle on a 2.4ha property at Kaingaroa, north-east of Kaitaia, which belonged to someone else.

The property owner supplied water for the animals by hose from a domestic water tank.

Three calves were born between February and April this year, by which time no water was available for the cattle because a seasonal dry period had left the property owner's tanks virtually empty, Mr Boyd said.

He was called to the property on April 23 and he found the cattle extremely distressed.

They had been 17 days without water and had almost no edible grass.

Lawyer Wayne Cribb said Dobson had previous dairy farming experience but had been preoccupied by relationship difficulties.

All the cattle have since been sold.