THE RSPCA has released a compilation of its quirkiest animal cruelty call-outs.
Responding to everything from highly distressed individuals reporting cruelty towards statues having mistaken them for a dog, or reports of crocodiles appearing in suburban backyards, RSPCA inspectors take every job seriously, but sometimes all is not as it seems.
The RSPCA’s TOP TEN quirky animal cruelty call outs that weren’t
1. A person called about an abandoned goat that had been left unfed for days, which was actually an abandoned mattress in a paddock.
2. A man rang about his dog which had been ‘hexed’ by his neighbour to attack him when he said a certain word. He wanted the RSPCA to “find out the word from his dog”.
3. A woman rang in anger to complain that her neighbours had left their white Bulldog in a yard without shade and when she left a note in their mailbox telling them to provide their dog shelter, they had put up a beach umbrella for the dog. The dog was a statue.
4. A highly distressed woman called about a mini crocodile in her backyard which was threatening the lives of her children. After receiving a photograph from the caller the animal was identified as a blue-tongue lizard.
5. An inspector went to rescue a bird that was heard trapped in the roof for a number of days. It was in fact the smoke alarm battery signal to change the battery.
6. A caller rang about a cockatoo that was so stressed in its small cage that it would not move. An inspector found an ornamental bird in a cage.
7. A gentleman called from a supermarket and said he was in the presence of an animal killer. Someone was buying head lice treatment.
8. Two security dogs had managed to get themselves ‘tangled’ on a tether. When the Inspector arrived at the property both dogs came running out without any problems. The Inspector had to explain to the informant the process of dog mating.
9. A woman rang at 10 pm worried that a possum up a tree may not be able to get down.
10. Several complaints of two cows in a paddock with no shelter. These are two steel cows in a field just outside of the town of Nowra on the NSW South Coast.
There is a very serious side to this however. Last financial year the RSPCA NSW Call Centre received over 14,600 calls made by concerned members of the community reporting cases of animal cruelty.
“Keeping an RSPCA inspector on the road fighting animal cruelty costs $450 a day which is why the RSPCA is calling on all pet lovers to come out and support our annual Million Paws Walk on Sunday 18 May 2014,” said Steve Coleman, RSPCA NSW CEO.
Fundraising is an essential component of the Million Paws Walk and this year RSPCA NSW hopes to raise $300,000 to assist the 30,000+ animals that it cares for each year.
“The best part about all the Million Paws Walk events around the state is that funds raised stay in the local community to assist the RSPCA Volunteer Branches and regional shelters to take care of local animals,” Coleman added.
For information about all the RSPCA Million Paws Walk events happening right around Australia, and to register, visit millionpawswalk.com.au and start fundraising to help animals in need.
