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Animal lover and AFLW Carlton player, Gab Pound, has joined RSPCA Victoria as the latest ambassador for all creatures great and small.
Victorians who spent a lonely Valentine’s Day need look no further, RSPCA Victoria says ‘find some bunny to love’ and adopt a rabbit or guinea pig during the small animal adoption drive – Small Animal Big Love.
RSPCA Victoria is disappointed the Victorian Government has announced a 2021 duck hunting season and is urging it to review its decision due to animal welfare concerns, declining waterbird abundance, and a lack of support within the community.
The shortened season will run for 20 days starting Wednesday, 26 May 2021, with a bag limit of two ducks per day. Out of the eight game species in Victoria, the Grey Teal and Chestnut Teal have restricted hunting areas, while the Blue-winged Shoveler cannot be hunted at all this season.
The announcement of a modified season comes after RSPCA Victoria and other organisations recommended the season be cancelled. Duck hunting is banned in all Australian states and territories except South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and Victoria, and the Victorian Labor Party passed a motion to review its policy on duck hunting at its 2019 state conference.
RSPCA Australia is opposed to the recreational hunting of any animal for sport due to the inherent and unnecessary injury, pain, suffering, distress or death to the animals involved.
RSPCA Victoria’s CEO, Dr Liz Walker, says there are multiple, evidence-based reasons why the 2021 season should not proceed, including concerns around cruelty including duck wounding rates and declines in waterbird populations.
“Duck hunting results in a substantial number of ducks being wounded, with some surviving, whilst others will suffer before eventually dying. Australian studies show approximately 26% of birds shot with a shotgun will be wounded or maimed. The likely outcome for wounded, maimed or crippled birds is a slow and painful death.
“Comparing this wounding rate of 26% with the reported total harvest figure of 238,666 from the 2019 season (as the 2020 season was impacted by COVID-19), we estimate that over 62,000 ducks were wounded and not killed outright in the 2019 season. This amount of wounding is unacceptably high and cannot be tolerated,” said Dr Walker.
Of further concern, survey findings from the GMA’s Summary report of hunters’ knowledge show that only 37% of duck hunters could answer questions correctly that related to minimising wounding. Further to this 87% were not able to correctly answer how to dispatch downed ducks.
RSPCA Victoria continues to be concerned by the data provided in the Aerial Survey of Wetland Birds in Eastern Australia each year, showing long-term significant declines in the breeding index, total abundance and wetland area index.
Breeding abundance and breeding species richness has decreased considerably in 2020 when compared with the previous year, with only three species recorded breeding - the sixth lowest on record and black swans, which are not a game species, comprised 81% of all records. This indicates that the majority of game species aren’t breeding which contributes to long term decline.
All game species abundance was well below long term averages, with 5 out of 8 game species showing significant long-term declines. Four of the five species that together made up 92% of game species harvested in 2020; the Pacific Black Duck, Australian Wood Duck, Grey Teal and Mountain Duck continue to show long term declines in their abundance. Decreased breeding species richness and long term declines in abundance illustrate an alarming trajectory for future duck populations and raises significant concern around their sustainability.
While the amount of available habitat has slightly improved from 2019 (which was the lowest on record), this has not resulted in an increase in waterbird abundance, breeding or breeding species richness. While some main water storage levels, such as the Murray River Basin, have experienced an increase in 2020, this is not sufficient to promote sustainable waterbird populations. Additionally, southern parts of Australia are entering into their drier season so summer rainfall will not relieve long-term rainfall deficits.
“We acknowledge that duck hunting is currently lawful, so while it continues, RSPCA Victoria strongly recommends implementing interventions to reduce the wounding rate, improve hunter education on issues such as humanely dispatching downed ducks, making the Shotgunning Education Program mandatory and the introduction of an annual waterfowl identification test to reduce the negative welfare impacts for ducks and off-target species,” said Dr Walker.
“We are disappointed that our recommendation to cancel the 2021 duck hunting season was not heeded. Another season will cause unnecessary injury, pain, suffering and death for hundreds of thousands of birds and contribute to the ongoing decline of our waterbird population.”
RSPCA Victoria is offering an educational webinar about separation anxiety in dogs and how to manage the related issues. Running on 27th January at 7pm, the virtual education session will provide a clear understanding of how separation anxiety can manifest and how to treat the symptoms and ease the situation for both dogs and their owners.
As people return to work and school, animals that arrived in new homes over the Christmas holidays will need to adapt to new schedules. After settling into a new home and spending an extended period of time in the company of their new owners, sudden changes such as spending time on their own, may be stressful for dogs and result in changes in behaviour.RSPCA Victoria is again urging pet owners to take responsibility for their animals this summer, after three dogs were abandoned and seized by an Inspector on Christmas Eve.
After a concerned member of the community made a report, a Heeler, Kelpie and Bull Arab were found tethered on chains in a backyard in the municipality of Wyndham, with no sign of food or water.Inspector body camera footage and images can be found in the link: https://we.tl/t-nO4O2FExLu
Animal lovers are needed to open their hearts and homes to provide temporary care for animals in the centre of cruelty cases as RSPCA Victoria looks to recruit new volunteers for its Protective Custody Foster Care Program. The call for more carers comes as an unprecedented number of animals wait for their cases to be heard as the courts work through a backlog due to COVID-19-related delays.
Kris Jones, Community Partnerships Manager at RSPCA Victoria, says that Protective Custody Foster Care is a lifeline for animals who would otherwise spend extended periods of time in RSPCA Victoria shelters. It is the only program of its kind in Victoria and it gives foster carers a unique opportunity to play an active role in the fight against animal cruelty.RSPCA Victoria has hundreds of animals that urgently need new homes – the New Year New Home promotion running from Friday 8 to Monday 11 January 2021 is reducing adoption fees for adult cats and rabbits to just $21 to help find them loving homes.
As many Victorians commence the new year with the ongoing option to work from home, for those considering adding a pet to their family, now is the perfect time to adopt. RSPCA Victoria’s New Year New Home will mean the sound of new paws in many homes around the state.
RSPCA Victoria ‘s CEO, Dr Liz Walker, says the adoption campaign is the perfect chance to give a little love to the animals who aren’t always in the spotlight.
“Cats and rabbits are often misunderstood creatures. We hope New Year New Home encourages the adoption of these terrific animals so more people can experience the joy, companionship and affection they offer,” says Dr Walker.
“We’ve found these types of adoption campaigns to be very successful in the past. This is a perfect time of year to welcome a new animal into your home. Many Victorians will spend the first part of January on holidays, giving them lots of time to help their new family member settle in.”
RSPCA Victoria assures the community the adoption process will not change at all during New Year New Home apart from the reduced cost. RSPCA Victoria’s adoption process matches animals and people, ensuring all animals go to the best suited home with an appropriate environment. The process is tried and tested, based on certain criteria such as space, work schedules and whether there are children or existing animals in the home.
Studies have shown that there is no difference in the care provided for an animal whether adopted through a fee-waiver program or for a fee.
New Year New Home Fast Facts
As always, the safety and well-being of our visitors, staff, volunteers and the community remains our top priority. Animal adoption at RSPCA Victoria remains via online application, visit rspcavic.org/adoption to view and apply for animals available for adoption. Adoption fees for senior cats (over ten years) and senior rabbits (over five years) will continue to be waived as per the normal RSPCA Victoria adoptions process.
All cats and rabbits adopted from RSPCA Victoria are desexed, microchipped and vaccinated to ensure they are ready to start a happy new life and a happy new year.After a successful pilot program earlier this year, RSPCA Victoria’s virtual school holiday program will return in January to teach children about animals. Streamed live from the education barn at RSPCA Victoria, the program commences on Monday 11 January, running through to Friday 22 January, 2021.
The online program provides students with an engaging opportunity to learn from home providing a variety of educational experiences including the opportunity to meet an RSPCA Inspector and time to learn about the life of an RSPCA Victoria Veterinarian and plenty of at home activities to keep young animal lovers entertained this summer.
The program is designed for children between seven and 14 years of age and is jam-packed with exclusive content, including a live virtual excursion to meet the animals of the RSPCA Victoria barn and hear the stories about how they came to be part of the RSPCA Victoria team.
Participants will learn what makes horses unique and discover what farm animals have in common with household pets. A special segment on little animals with big personalities will reveal fun facts about rabbits and guinea pigs.
Running daily for one hour the blended learning model is an adaptation of RSPCA Victoria’s regular school holiday program, which typically sees over 1,000 young animal lovers visit the Education Centre every year. The online format was created in response to COVID-19 restrictions, with students tuning in each day to learn about animals and distract themselves from Victoria’s lockdown.
Belinda Marchbank, RSPCA Victoria’s Education Officer, said that the program aims to educate students about good animal welfare through fun activities and videos and meeting some of the staff and education animals that make up the RSPCA Victoria family.
“The online school holidays program keeps our regular students connected with the animals at RSPCA Victoria, while at the same provides the opportunity for children living outside the city to participate.
“This is especially relevant to children who love animals but previously haven’t had the opportunity to travel to our Education Centre in Burwood East,” said Ms Marchbank.
Fast Facts:
·
Running
from 11
January to Friday 22 January 2021
·
Sessions will run for approximately 1 hour per day
and will start at 10.30am.
·
Register for one week of daily sessions for $35 or
both weeks for $60
·
Includes
a live virtual barn excursion to meet the animals
·
Interviews
with an RSPCA Victoria veterinarian and Inspector
·
Opportunity
to ask questions of experts and interact with other participants
·
Worksheets
and recipes
·
Sign up for the program at rspcavic.org/schoolholidays
RSPCA Victoria is looking out for animals like Lucy and Marley this summer with a new state-wide campaign targeting three of the most reported cruelty concerns during the hotter months. The campaign comes just as the World Meteorological Organisation announced that 2020 is on track to be one of three warmest years on record. Data collected over the past seven years shows that cruelty reports have peaked every January with more than 45 reports per day. This compares to approximately 26 reports per day in the winter months of June, July and August. Reports related to dogs without shelter or water, dogs left in hot cars or potential abandonment of an animal account for 27.94% of reports made to RSPCA Victoria’s Inspectorate since 2014. Lucy and Marley were two such dogs. A concerned member of the public made a report to RSPCA Victoria’s Inspectorate after discovering Lucy and her sister Marley abandoned on a property, in the middle of summer, with no water and no shelter. RSPCA Victoria vets said the dogs were incredibly emaciated, Lucy with a body score of 1.5 and Marley with a body score of just one out of five. One more week left alone and they would have died. RSPCA Victoria is imploring people to consider not only the responsibility they have to their pet, but how quickly things can turn to tragedy in the hotter months. “Stories like Lucy and Marley’s are incredibly common. But not all of them have a happy ending,” said Rebecca Cook, Head of Prevention at RSPCA Victoria. “Every year we see the same trend. As soon as the weather warms up, reports of animal cruelty and neglect to our Inspectorate skyrocket. And the saddest part is that it’s entirely preventable.” “It takes just six minutes for a dog to die in a hot car. Temperatures can double within moments and what seems like an innocent trip to the supermarket can have a devastating outcome when pet owners leave their pets unattended during the heat of the summer.” This summer, RSPCA Victoria is asking people to do three simple things:
A comprehensive digital and radio campaign will support out-of-home advertising across the state. It’s the largest state-wide advertising campaign the charity has ever run, highlighting the scale and severity of the issue the organisation faces. For more information on RSPCA Victoria’s summer campaign visit www.rspcavic.org/summer. |
RSPCA Victoria is reminding pet owners of their legal and moral obligations to look after their animals, after Inspectors uncovered a pet dog in a severe state of emaciation earlier this month.
An Inspector visited a property in the south-east suburbs in response to a report of concern for a dog’s welfare. On arrival, a four-year-old German Shepherd named Bobby was found acutely emaciated and in ill-health.
After successfully negotiating the dog’s surrender, Bobby was taken to RSPCA Victoria’s Burwood East clinic where the veterinary team provided emergency care and pain relief.
With a body condition score of just one out of five (1/5), Bobby was emaciated, covered in ulcerative lesions with secondary infection and presented with swollen hind limbs. He had acute muscle wastage and was in severe pain, with one ulcer over his left hip creating a hole so deep that it extended down to the joint capsule.
RSPCA Victoria’s vets did all they could to alleviate the dog’s pain and suffering, however given his dire condition and poor prognosis, the difficult decision was made to humanely euthanase him.
RSPCA Victoria Inspectorate Team Leader, Stuart Marchesani, said it was unacceptable to leave an animal to suffer in the manner Bobby would have experienced.
“It doesn’t take days or even weeks for an animal to deteriorate to this sort of condition, this is gross neglect that has gone on for months and months. Sadly, Bobby would have been in significant pain and discomfort for a long time before we found him. It’s a particularly distressing case as he was only four years old,” Mr Marchesani said.
“All pet owners must take full responsibility for the animals in their care and, if they are no longer able to provide adequate care, we urge them to talk to RSPCA Victoria about their options.
“There is no excuse for animal neglect and those found guilty under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act face fines up to $82,610 and two years' imprisonment."
The case is still under investigation by RSPCA Victoria’s Inspectorate and no further information can be released at this time.
Anyone who has concerns for the welfare of an animal is encouraged to contact RSPCA Victoria on 9224 2222 or at rspcavic.org.
***WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW***
Today an Animal Justice Party motion was passed in Parliament calling on the Victorian Government to make changes to the way animal shelters, pounds and rescue groups operate.
As a socially conscious shelter, RSPCA Victoria believes transparency, collaboration and continuous improvement of standards are vital to ensure all animals are treated humanely and live a good life.
Prior to today, RSPCA Victoria provided feedback to the Animal Justice Party on its proposal. We are particularly pleased to see that our recommendation to introduce regulation of rescue groups has been included, to ensure all animal care groups are transparent and adhere to the same standards.
The motion included five key proposals, many of which are already implemented or supported by RSPCA Victoria. We look forward to working with the Victoria Government and other stakeholders to address these proposals, which are set out in more detail below.
Publicly reporting statistics such as animal intake, animals rehomed and animals euthanased is essential for shelters to ensure transparency and community confidence. Currently, the Code of Practice for the Management of Dogs and Cats in Shelters and Pounds does not require mandatory reporting of these statistics. However, many reputable animal shelters, including RSPCA Victoria, consider this reporting to be best practice and supply the public with these statistics as part of annual reporting. A full breakdown of RSPCA Victoria’s euthanasia statistics is available on our website here.
Rescue groups are an important part of reducing companion animal homelessness in Victoria. RSPCA Victoria actively works with 29 reputable rescue groups and in 2018/19 rehomed 840 animals through these partners. RSPCA Victoria will always seek the best outcomes for animals in our care, which includes rehoming animals to rescue groups.
RSPCA Victoria has found that working directly with the community can have the greatest impact in increasing responsible ownership of animals. Recently, RSPCA Victoria ran a pilot project in one local government area, Latrobe City, to develop a deeper understanding of the drivers of animal cruelty and neglect, identify barriers to good animal welfare practices and pilot prevention initiatives. This aimed to both reduce cruelty and neglect in the target region and develop successful intervention models to be applied in other regions across Victoria.
Since the official launch on 12 February 2020, the pilot has directly supported over 408 individual animals with vet care, behavioural and health advice and the provision of food and flea and worming treatment. Our Community Liaison Officer, has had over 700 interactions with members of the community by phone, face to face and email. Initial data shows that most requests were for assistance with desexing (250). In addition, over 200 bags of pet food, 27 kennels and cat carriers, 482 individual flea and worming products have been distributed in the Latrobe community. Working directly with the community and providing free animal care services had very high engagement.
RSPCA Australia developed the Identifying Best Practice Domestic Cat Management in Australia report in 2018 which recommended that a research study should be conducted to evaluate whether, and under what specific circumstances, a program of trap, desex, adopt or return and support (TDARS) is an appropriate tool for urban cat management under Australian conditions.
Prior to the 2018 state election, RSPCA Victoria successfully advocated for registered pets to be directly reunited with their owners. We were pleased to secure bipartisan support to amend section 84D of the Domestic Animals Act 1994 to allow veterinarians and animal shelters to reunite registered and microchipped animals with their owners without the requirement for a section 84Y agreement.
We believe that enabling vet clinics and animal shelters to directly reunite animals with their owners without the need for an 84Y agreement with local councils would reduce the period of separation, avoid additional transferring of the animal, reduce the load on pounds and potentially lower rates of euthanasia. This will have a positive welfare impact for animals found wandering, while also providing further benefits of pet registration and lower operational costs for local councils.
19/20 |
18/19 |
|
Instances of animals with insufficient food, water or
shelter |
6,044 |
6,672 |
Concerns about hygiene, grooming and housing conditions |
3,887 |
3,706 |
Reports of underweight animals |
2,862 |
3,274 |
Sick and injured animals not receiving veterinary
treatment |
2,559 |
2,799 |
Concerns about animals being beaten or wounded |
1,467 |
1,310 |
Instances of abandoned animals |
1,172 |
1,232 |
Note: Many of the reports received by RSPCA Victoria in 2019-20 included allegations of multiple offences involving multiple animals, hence the total number of concerns exceeding the 10,745 reports.
Dr Walker noted that RSPCA Victoria relies heavily on the public to report concerns regarding animal cruelty and neglect.Reports by local government area
Rankings by number of reports
2019-20 ranking | 2019-20 reports | Local government area | 2018-19 ranking | 2018-19 reports | 2017-18 ranking | 2017-18 reports |
1 | 581 | Casey City Council | 2 | 561 | 2 | 462 |
2 | 561 | Greater Geelong City Council | 1 | 617 | 1 | 559 |
3 | 374 | Hume City Council | 3 | 410 | 3 | 376 |
4 | 344 | Whittlesea City Council | 5 | 383 | 10 | 311 |
5 | 338 | Melton Shire Council | 6 | 375 | 7 | 325 |
6 | 338 | Frankston City Council | 10 | 315 | 4 | 350 |
7 | 333 | Latrobe City Council | 12 | 310 | 11 | 305 |
8 | 328 | Wyndham City Council | 7 | 364 | 13 | 291 |
9 | 320 | City of Greater Bendigo | 4 | 393 | 6 | 333 |
10 | 303 | Mornington Peninsula Shire Council | 13 | 300 | 9 | 322 |
Rankings
by Reports per capita
2019-20
Ranking |
2019-20
Per capita |
Area |
2018-19
Ranking |
2018-19
Per capita |
2017-18
Ranking |
2017-18
|
1 |
1:144 |
Pyrenees
Shire Council |
1 |
1 : 101 |
5 |
1: 223 |
2 |
1:179 |
Hepburn
Shire Council |
3 |
1
: 180 |
1 |
1
: 157 |
3 |
1:208 |
Loddon
Shire Council |
2 |
1 : 139 |
11 |
1
: 289 |
4 |
1:223 |
Corangamite
Shire Council |
15 |
1
: 274 |
7 |
1
: 248 |
5 |
1:227 |
Latrobe
City Council |
8 |
1 : 243 |
6 |
1
: 247 |
6 |
1:263 |
Mitchell
Shire Council |
16 |
1;
277 |
12 |
1
: 290 |
7 |
1:265 |
Rural
City of Wangaratta |
19 |
1
; 288 |
26 |
1
: 388 |
8 |
1:283 |
Moyne
Shire Council |
12 |
1
; 260 |
18 |
1
: 345 |
9 |
1:289 |
Yarriambiack
Shire Council |
31 |
370 |
23 |
1
: 370 |
10 |
1:290 |
Wellington
Shire Council |
13 |
260 |
24 |
1
: 370 |
For
further details regarding cruelty statistics for a specific council area,
please contact RSPCA Victoria’s Media Team.
About
this data
·
Many of the 10,745 reports received by
RSPCA Victoria in 2019-20 included allegations of multiple offences involving
multiple animals.
·
Not every report contains a
substantiated offence. Some reports involve concerns that do not meet the
threshold for an offence in Victoria, and others were not substantiated through
investigation.
·
Not every offence results in a charge or
a prosecution. Many offences are resolved quickly by the owner or person in
charge of an animal after they have been contacted by an RSPCA Victoria
Inspector.
About
RSPCA Victoria’s Inspectorate
RSPCA Victoria investigates reports of animal cruelty involving companion animals (including horses), livestock in herds of less than 10 and poultry in flocks of less than 50. Reports involving larger herds of livestock or wildlife are referred to other agencies for investigation.
RSPCA Victoria remains open for adoption. While the stage 4 restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne mean some additional operational changes, adoptions continue. The regional shelters currently operating under stage 3 restrictions and continue to run adoptions via the online application process.
Tegan
McPherson, Head of Operations, RSPCA Victoria said, “While we continue the
important work of finding new forever homes for the many animals in our care,
the new Stage Four restrictions mean we are changing the way some of our
services will run in metropolitan Melbourne.
“After
a slight pause, our metropolitan sites have adapted and adoptions continue via
the online application process.
“We
understand there are many people who have been waiting to adopt a pet and we
encourage them to visit our website to view the animals currently available for
adoption.
“We
continue to receive a high number of adoption applications and we’d like to
thank the community for their patience as our team takes the time to match people
with the right pets.” said Ms McPherson.
Current
RSPCA services
For
the duration of the Stage 4 restrictions, RSPCA Victoria is operating
as follows and thanks the community for their understanding and patience during
this time. In the interests of everybody’s health and safety, RSPCA
Victoria is asking members of the public to wear a mask, respect
hygiene protocols and be mindful of social distancing instructions when
visiting its sites.
Animal cruelty reports and our Inspectorate
Inspectors
are continuing to investigate animal cruelty reports while taking care to
adhere to strict health, safety and social distancing guidelines.
Cruelty reports can be made via the normal channels, either online via
rspcavic.org/report or if an animal’s life is at
immediate risk, by calling (03) 9224 2222 so an Inspector can be notified
right away.
Adoptions
People
in metropolitan Melbourne can continue to apply for animals for adoption via the online form on the website. In an
effort to restrict movement as much as possible, customers must be within 30km of the metro site from
which they wish to adopt. Meet and greets for dogs will be managed at
designated locations at each of the three metropolitan shelter locations.
Portland, Warrnambool and Wangaratta will continue to
manage adoptions by appointment under Stage Three restrictions. However,
customers from metropolitan locations are not permitted to adopt from these
sites.
RSPCA Burwood East
3
Burwood Hwy
Burwood East VIC 3151
P:
(03) 9224 2222
RSPCA Epping Animal Welfare Facility
20 Companion Place
Epping, VIC 3076
P:
(03) 8401 6600
RSPCA Peninsula
1030 Robinsons Rd
Pearcedale VIC 3912
P: (03) 5978 9000
RSPCA Portland
185 Darts Road
Portland VIC 3305
P: (03) 5523 4690
RSPCA Wangaratta
1 Connell Street
Wangaratta VIC 3677
P: (03) 5722 8744
RSPCA Warrnambool
23
Braithwaite Street
Warrnambool VIC 3280
P: (03) 5561 2591
RSPCA Victoria veterinary services are operating with limited contact arrangements including contactless payments.
RSPCA Burwood East Vet Clinic – phone (03) 9224 2222Emergencies
If a
pet needs emergency care outside of opening hours a list of animal emergency
centres can be found on the website. You
can take your pet to a vet in an emergency during curfew hours.
Foster
With limited contact arrangements in place, RSPCA
Victoria’s Foster program continues to run allowing foster care volunteers to attend RSPCA Victoria sites to collect animals
or to attend veterinary appointments.
Grooming
Due to the Stage Four restrictions, RSPCA Victoria’s grooming
facility at Burwood East is temporarily closed until further notice. If you have
concerns about your pet’s skin or coat during this time please contact our RSPCA Burwood East Vet Clinic on (03) 9224 2222 or
your local veterinary clinic.