sel

I think you are being rather nieve ... you may not have heard about it but it doesnt mean that it isnt happening still. Illegal badger baiting, dog fights etc ARE still happening, check out archives for info.

http://nwhsa.wordpress.com/index.php?s=badger+baiting

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New figures from the police show that the number of wildlife crimes more than doubled in the last year, from 2,177 to 5,854.

Incidents are now being recorded at a rate of 120 a week. They cover not only the slaughtering of badgers and rare birds of prey, but also egg thefts, bird trapping, deer poaching and habitat destruction. Rural areas are where most incidents occur, with Northumbria a conspicuous target for wildlife criminals. More than 500 incidents have been recorded there, with Grampian (244), Humberside (195), and North Wales (188) also wildlife crime hotspots.

What make the statistics even more remarkable is that they do not include crimes against domestic and farm animals. In 2008, the RSPCA investigated 140,000 cases of animal cruelty in England and Wales, a steep rise from the 2003 figure of 105,000. The charity has seen dog fighting rise tenfold since 2004, with nearly 300 incidents last year. Airgun attacks on animals and rustling of sheep and cattle also appear to be on the rise.

http://nwhsa.wordpress.com/2009/11/0...illing-fields/

Cruelty happens the world over.

lauralollipop

Totally agree with you there, I can't beleive how the pet shops here still sell dogs and how the rangers just take them to be put down so matter of a fact

My Aussies friends are also very unsympathetic towards animals, I am a very big animal lover and hate cruelty to animals in anyway shape or form, things that make me want to cry make them chuckle and they say 'its only a dog' etc....
Last week my scottish friend lost her 3 baby guinea pigs, when the gardener moved the cage, she was besides herself with worry looking for them, the aussie ladies laughed and told her they would be dead and just tell the kids they ran away, and they are only guinea pigs. My scottish friend and I were both horrified, and they carried on drinking tea and laughing. Anyway she went home ot look for them and found the 3 of them safe and sound under a bush.

My neighbours have a dog, but heaven knows why, its on its own outside all day and all night, and has never even had one walk in its life, all they do is feed it at 7am, just shove a bowl out the door, with no contact - makes me so angry. I had to go losen its collar as they hadn't even noticed she had grown and it was now too tight - it was choking her!!! I reported to RSPCA, but they didnt give a monkeys. They shouldnt be allowed to own an animal! I have spoken to them and they dont think that they are doing anything wrong and that its perfectly fine to have a dog locked outside all day and night on its own with no walks, play or love!

But the point is yea, Aussies dont seem as much as animal lovers as us Brits are.

Broad Shoulders

I think there is a strong tendency in Aus for people to own a dog for the sake of owning a dog, like it's just a natural part of life. While dog ownership in the UK is generally for companionship and there are real relationships between the pet and owner.

We have a similar situation with our neighbours, their dogs are severely overweight (like their owners in fact) and have never been for a walk outside their 400sqm block in their life (like their owners). If you are not going to bother exercising your dog and give it the attention it needs then don't own one.

mr mover

Many years ago , i was driving up to Leigh creek a mining town 700 km nth of Adelaide a truck traveling in front of me hit a large roo ,spinning it off to the side of the road, the roo a large grey male had massive leg trauma, it was dragging its leg by sinews.
Now my problem was do i ignore it or try and end its suffering, we were looking at a 40 degree day, and water was scarce, i got out of my truck with a metal " cheater bar" [ 3ft long wheel brace extender] .
Now that Roo manage to get up on its one leg and was prepared to have a go, it eventually fell over , and i moved in for the kill , a solid blow to the skull solved its problem.
This is somthing i hated to have to do as i think all creatures deserve a Fair go, but it was better and quick death than dying of thirst .
What would you ??? have done in the same situation..................mm

The_Wookie

I have no idea what I would have done, and I fail to see your point because the two incidents are totally different. One being in a built up area where a vet must have been relatively close by, the other you being on a road several hundred km north of Adelaide in what I'm assuming would be bush?

I certainly don't want to see an animal suffering, but I'd also like to help it as much as possible without resorting to a policeman using his firearm to shoot it.

Broad Shoulders

I think his point might have been more aimed towards your poo-pooing of injured roos being able to cause a public danger.

The_Wookie

But what did it do?

'got up on its one leg and was prepared to have a go, and eventually fell over'

How does the poster know it was 'prepared to have a go'?

I fail to see how a roo, that is blatantly not a danger as it's lying on its side with the cop right next to it, needs to be shot there and then.

Broad Shoulders

But an RSPCA officer was called and no one could attend. So the police took action. Sure, he probably didn't do it as clinically as a vet or the RSPCA would have but he certainly did it more humanely than your approved manner in which Mr Mover carried out his (this is not a dig at you Mr Mover as you used what you had at your disposal).

I agree in general with your post, I think you are right mostly, but that example of the copper and the roo is a bad one to exemplify your point

copa

nothing wrong with killing cane toads. They are a pest animal like a cockroach ... and are treated with the same level of respect.

Fenton Beasley

Honestly? No worse than the mother country if you ask me

sonlymewalter

Agreed. Where there are people there are idiots who have no respect for other humans, never mind animals.

Thank goodness the majority of people are more thoughtful and caring

The_Wookie

Find me some similar examples of what has been reported here in the past few months that have happened in the UK. Yes there is cruelty everywhere, but in 'my experience', it's worse in Australia.

Or is this another case of 'How dare you knock Australia in any way? It's bloody Nirvana here'.

For gods sake people, Australia DOES have some negative aspects you know.

Lord_Farquar

Yes but it has nice beaches and more sun.

2coxys

its not just the killing of them its the way people seem to take delight in making other living things suffer which really gets me

copa

but cane toads bounce funny after they are hit...