Frustration over animal abuse ‘inaction’

President of the animal welfare organisation Be Their Voice, Lavern Beresford, says her group is growing increasingly frustrated with what she describes as Government “inaction” over repeated reports of animal cruelty.

She pointed to the recent case of a severely emaciated dog named ‘Misty’ as one of several examples that have gone largely unaddressed.

Beresford said the case began after a concerned citizen contacted Be Their Voice with photographs of the dog.

Within half-hour of the report, a volunteer from Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary drove to the location and found the dog tied to a rope with no access to food or water. The volunteer fed the dog and, after ticks and fleas were discovered, secured the owner’s permission to take the animal to a veterinarian. The dog was later returned to the owner, along with a donated kennel.

“We don’t have the authority to seize anybody’s dog,” Beresford stressed.

She said a second, younger dog belonging to the same owner was also emaciated, tied outside without shelter. The organisation was unable to take that dog for veterinary examination as well, due to limited volunteer capacity.

Visited property

The president said when the case was reported to the RSPCA, an official visited the property but declined to remove either dog, stating that “they have to give the owner a chance to do better”.

The veterinary report Beresford said she obtained showed the dog’s body condition score at two out of nine.

“This did not happen overnight,” she said, summarising the report’s conclusion that the dog’s organs may have been damaged by prolonged starvation.

Beresford said she forwarded the report to both the RSPCA and the Attorney General’s Office, requesting that the owner be charged.

She said Be Their Voice has received similar reports involving underfed cattle and horses left in poor condition across the island, filed with the Ministry of Agriculture’s veterinary services and other officials, with little to no response.

Attempts to contact the Animal Control Centre were unsuccessful.

(DDS)

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