Media Release: Auckland Animal Action

Wednesday 5th September 2007

Animal Rights Group Calls for the Immediate End to the Shooting of Dogs

Whangarei District Council’s inhumane practice of shooting dogs caused a public outcry earlier this year. An estimated 390 dogs are killed in this manner annually.

Recently members of Auckland Animal Action filmed and photographed the pits used by the Council to dispose of the dogs’ bodies.

These pits are located in the pine forest on Kioreroa Road in close proximity to the Animal Control buildings. The area outside the pits was covered in blood and the smell of decomposing bodies was overwhelming. Inside the pits many dogs were piled on top of each other, several with collars and most infested with maggots.

Earlier this year on Campbell Live, a Council representative claimed the cost of administering a lethal injection was prohibitive and as a result the dogs were being shot.

Auckland Animal Action spokesperson, Jasmine Gray says, “It is unacceptable for the Council to use cost as an excuse for killing companion animals.”

“Auckland Animal Action wants to see an immediate end to this barbaric practice. In its place we would like to see the Whangarei District Council take a proactive role in educating people about responsible dog ownership and the importance of de-sexing as a means of reducing the number of dogs that end up in the pound.”

 
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