An animal rights organisation is furious after two men were discharged without conviction for shooting a bull multiple times with a bow.
On August 17, 2021, the bull - named Ferdinand - was found in a paddock near Porirua with arrows in his stomach and neck, as well as a deep wound on his right shoulder. He was later put down due to his injuries.
As reported by the Stuff, the next day it was discovered a companion steer had a wound on its rump.
In the Porirua District Court on Thursday, the two young men involved were discharged without conviction and had their names suppressed.
As per Stuff, the younger man - aged 18 at the time of the attack - had pleaded guilty to two charges of ill-treating the animals, unlawfully being on property, three charges of driving while suspended and one of failing to stop.
The older man, aged 20 at the time of the attack, had pleaded guilty to a single charge of being a party to ill-treating the animals, cultivating cannabis and possession of cannabis seeds.
Each has been ordered to pay $3500 reparation.
The owner of the animals, Heather Phillips, told Stuff she wanted the defendants held accountable for their cruelty, as well as damaging her mental health and entering their property.
In a statement on Friday, Aotearoa's leading animal rights organisation SAFE spoke out against the decision to discharge the men without conviction, saying the attack was "deliberate" and "depraved".
"Aotearoa talks a big game about its animal welfare standards. But this case just shows how little regard the justice system has for animals and their wellbeing," SAFE campaigns manager Anna de Roo said.
The Ministry for Primary Industries, which is the lead enforcement agency for animal welfare on farms, receives thousands of animal welfare complaints every year, yet less than 1 percent of those complaints lead to prosecution, de Roo added.
"This is not the only case where cruelty to animals has gone unpunished. Even when perpetrators are prosecuted, the penalties are often disturbingly light.
"New Zealand has Commissioners to represent the most vulnerable populations in society, including children and the environment. Animals, however, are not represented by an independent voice.
"Cases like this show why a Commissioner for Animals is urgently needed."
