Animal abuse

Press, 22 July 1988, Page 8

Animal abuse

Sir,—An article, “S.P.C.A. seeks stiffer fines” (July 9), reports the Auckland S.P.C.A. director’s concern at the light sentences imposed on those con-

victed of animal cruelty offences. In recent months, increasingly vicious animal cruelty cases have either been dismissed or have received token penalties (e.g., kittens placed in an oven and a puppy ignited with petrol, each case earning three months of corrective training). Such consistent leniency approximates to an expression of condonement, with animal abuse ranking below newspaper thefts from honesty boxes and minor traffic infringements. The S.P.C.A.’s educational policy is thus rendered ineffective, since social values are reflected by the correlation between education and law, the former representing theory or social ethic, the latter, reality. In the area of animal abuse, theory is contradicted by reality, hence the urgent need to raise minimum penalties and to institute systematic police prosecution of all animal offences. — Yours, etc. V. F. SANDS. July 18, 1988