Ten puppies were among 15 dogs shot dead by a rural NSW council as part of its response to stop the spread of COVID-19 in an incident now being investigated by the RSPCA.
Bourke Shire Council, in the state’s north-west, said its pound’s holding pens were at capacity, two dogs were aggressive towards staff and one another, and the regular re-homer was twice unavailable before it made the decision to destroy the dogs last week.
Bourke Shire Council said staff had animal welfare certificates and the organisation had unsuccessfully tried other actions before the dogs were shot dead.
The response followed widespread outrage at the news the animals had been shot to comply with COVID-19 restrictions, after the Office of Local Government said the decision had been made to prevent volunteers at a Cobar-based animal shelter from travelling to pick up the animals.
In a statement, the council said the relevant staff had animal welfare certificates, that the organisation had unsuccessfully tried other actions, and the dogs had been in the pound well past the time required under the Companion Animal Act.
“And coupled with council seeking to stop people from other communities entering Bourke given the level of vulnerability in the community … the decision was made to euthanise the dogs,” the statement said, adding it was a difficult time for communities, especially those in the far west, like Bourke.
“The town is in a tenuous situation at the moment with COVID. Positive cases are on the increase. Council is being very careful with people entering Bourke. The majority of council staff have been stood down to avoid the virus spreading further in the community.”
NSW Health data recorded up to 8pm on Sunday night shows there are seven COVID-19 cases in Bourke, three of which have an unknown source.
The council did not respond to questions asking why shooting was the method of euthanasia it undertook.
In a statement, RSPCA NSW said the animal welfare agency was investigating the incident: “This is under investigation for any possible offences under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979. As it is an active investigation, privacy and legal considerations do not allow us to provide further information.”
Source: SMH
