RSPCA WA Inspectors have seized a starving horse from a Collie property with the assistance of Collie Riding for the Disabled Association and shire of Collie rangers.
On Tuesday, RSPCA WA Inspectors seized 37 rabbits and a dog from a home in Perth’s northern suburbs and rescued a starving horse from a property in Collie.
A RSPCA WA Inspector attended a rural property in Collie following a report of a very skinny horse.
On arrival at the property, the Inspector observed that the horse appeared to have a very poor body condition, and lacked access to food. The horse also has an open wound on its withers (shoulders).
The owner surrendered the horse to RSPCA WA.
With the assistance of Collie shire rangers and the Collie branch of Riding for the Disabled Association, the horse was provided with food and transferred to a nearby property where it will receive medical treatment and will be monitored throughout its rehabilitation.
Three Inspectors and a veterinarian also attended a property in Perth’s northern suburbs on the same day, following a report to the RSPCA Cruelty Hotline concerning a number of rabbits and a dog kept in a backyard.
The animals appear to have been kept outdoors on the property in cramped and filthy conditions, with no apparent source of food or fresh water, and minimal shelter from the elements.
The attending vet assessed all the animals before they were collected by Inspectors and brought to the RSPCA Animal Care Centre in Malaga for further examination and treatment.
The 37 rabbits, including three rabbit kittens, were housed in a number of hutches, cages and boxes; some in cramped conditions. Inspectors noted that there was no apparent food or fresh water available for any of the rabbits.
The dog was tied to a short chain in a small section of the backyard.
There was no apparent food or fresh water available to the dog, and the area in which he was chained was covered in faeces.
The two cases are not related but represent the diversity of challenges faced by RSPCA Inspectors every day.
RSPCA WA Chief Inspector Amanda Swift said RSPCA WA Inspectors will continue to investigate these two cases and work with the people in charge of these animals to ascertain the circumstances surrounding what they encountered.
“These events are typical examples of the vast range of work carried out by the RSPCA every week in their undertaking to rescue animals and prevent further needless suffering. Inspectors investigate thousands of cases every year and they rely on rigorous training and a broad skillset to manage the variety of animals and situations they come across,” she said.
RSPCA WA will assess evidence gathered and will consider whether prosecution of the owners under the Animal Welfare Act (2002) is warranted.
RSPCA WA encourages anyone who witnesses animal cruelty to report it immediately to the RSPCA Cruelty Line on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 3589).