Bleats - against animal cruelty
January 22nd, 2008I have written about Animal Cruelty before and here again I got a lovely little something from Liz that echoes my thoughts. I much rather quote:
As a devoted animal lover I was saying to Mark how lenient the sentences are for animal cruelty. For someone to kill an animal & to be banned from having another for a short period of time i.e. 2 or 3 years is not enough, they should be banned for life! I wished there was something I could do then came across a magazine article about a group of dedicated Brisbane lawyers & a senior counsel who have formed BLEATS (Brisbane Lawyers Educating and Advocating for Tougher Sentences).
Would you please sign this worthwhile petition to support tougher sentences against animal cruelty and forward onto your friends & family for their signature.
BLEATS‘ mail initiative being their major aim is to focus attention on the apparent unwillingness or seeming inability of Magistrates to wield their powers under the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001.
Prosecutions
Statistics from RSPCA alone in 2005-2006 shows a disturbing trend. Your support of the petition would surely help.
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 am
I have signed it and YES, i would support harsher punishment! definitely! As you all may know, i am an avid animal lover! can’t stand cruelty to animals!
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:51 am
Surely fining an elderly woman $50,000 [fifty thousand dollars] because she was ill in hospital and unable to care for her cattle sufficiently for a short time, is a severe enough penalty! This penalty was handed down today - 22 Jan 2008! What about equal fines for people who ruin the lives of young human beings by deliberately getting them addicted to drugs? They get off almost scot free! Let’s also think about the lightweight sentences given for murder of human beings. It’s all very well to fine people who are deliberately cruel to animals but the penalties for farmers suffering severe drought, working their souls out and being persecuted, NOT HELPED by RSPCA which wrongly claims that it cares for all creatures great and small! It does not. RSPCA IS HAPPY TO SHOW ITSELF RESCUING LITTLE KITTENS OR PUPS BUT DOES NOT HELP FARM ANIMALS.
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:59 am
Penalties for cruelty to animals are already far above the penalties given to drug pushers and murderers. Farmers struggling to keep animals alive during droughts, when it can be extremely difficult to procure sufficient feed [which is very costly and hard to get in a prolonged drought] are not helped at all by RSPCA. This organisation has a slogan that it cares for all creatures great and small, yet it will shoot cows and leave little calves without mothers. A very ill female farmer was today fined fifty thousand dollars because she was ill in hospital and unable to supplement the natural grasses with additional feed. $50, 000 is just PART of her penalty.
February 17th, 2008 at 11:44 am
The penalties allowed for in law are already more than sufficient to deal with cruelty to animals. In fact the laws often go to far as caring and responsible pet owners and farmers are frequently becoming criminalised both in Australia and the rest of the world. Most magistrates are of the belief that the RSPCA are the experts in animal welfare (which they most certainly are not)and accept their evidence at face value, however distorted.
Unfortunately people like Harry believe that just because they “can’t stand cruelty” that they should also support this kind of misguided lobbying which, if successful, just puts more power in the hands of those unfit to use it, while doing nothing whatsoever to help animals
February 21st, 2008 at 11:13 pm
There should be a more indepth investigation into how and why an animal has been mistreated before a verdict and punishment is decided. In cases of those that inflict pain and suffering for amusement or laziness, the full fines and jail sentences should be used. A portion of the money from those fines, could be put towards farmers to help with the lack of resources for food. This way both animal welfare groups and farmers with starving cattle can benefit from larger fines. This will also be an incentive for the courts to push tougher penaltys.
March 13th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I agree with Melissa - dated 21 Feb, 2008 is right when she says we need more indepth investigations before handing out verdicts & punishments to determine if the pain & suffering inflicted on the animal was intentional or avoidable.
In cases where animal cruelty is/was avoidable & they had prior knowledge OR if it was intentional in ANYWAY then YES i fully agree with that person recieving no less than a $50,000 Fine and/or Jail time. But definately not if the case was unintentional or unavoidable
However having said that i am a believer that prevention of animal cruelty (where possible) is better than a cure.
Just For Example - Look at the all the dog attacks reported all over the news.
Dogs don’t attack for no reason. It is usually due to the animal being provoked, mistreated or just neglected all together.
Its the way a dog is brought up & cared for and also its environment that determines whether that dog is aggresive & dangerous NOT the BREED of dog.
But instead of putting laws in place, making it compusary for animal carers & owners to be properly educated with a license, much like what is required when owning or caring for an exotic bird or reptile, lazy authorties instead blame dog attacks on the breed of dog.
Again, profits raised from the sale of licences in addition to funds recieved from heavier penalties could then be contributed towards both animal welfare groups & drought stricken farmers to name a few.
Come on guys, Why should animals recieve any less rights just because they can’t voice things for themselves?
March 20th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I think that the laws for penalties against animal cruelty should be worse because people shouldnt hurt those animals like using a live cat or dog for shark bait why dont you just ckuck your daughter or son in aswell and see how they feel……..
an animals life has no less meaning then a human life and even though humans are horrible diseases that just ravage this land and destroy everything they touch some ( underline some ) humans actually treat animals the way they should be treated …………..
if you havnt already got the idea i LOVE animals and would never hurt one on perpose they are living creatures as well……..
thanks for reading and thank you for this little place to write a comment……
March 28th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
There is a general attitude of disrespect for others in many parts of our community. Our voiceless animals are suffering and we should start with showing respect for our children. Courts need to show that neglect and cruelty will not be tolerated. Who is going to set the example? Ethics need to be taught to many adults yet we wonder why children are so confused morally and have no respect. No animal should suffer. The system is wrong, puppy farmers are everywhere. Yesterday I attempted to get Justice for a dead victim of puppy farming and the Legal System failed again. That is because there is no compassion and total complaisancy from Magistrates. Shame.
May 10th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Simply speaking: Lets eradicate Animal Cruelty from the face of Earth!!!
May 25th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Here Here! I completely agree with Kanchana Pethiyagoda.