Cruelty to Animals

[Rosemary]

Surely this can't go on much longer...

On Rottnest Island, just off our coast, five of our native Quokkas were killed in an attack described as brutal and cowardly.

Rangers found the dead quokkas scattered around the main settlement.

Evidence at the scene indicated that the quokkas had been bashed in a viscious killing.

Earlier on in the year, more were killed or maimed. One poor creature was stuffed into a letter box.

In previous years, they have been kicked to death, speared with various implements and even held under the water and drowned.

These acts of senseless cruelty make me feel like adding the perpetrator to the Death Penalty Thread...

[jackokent]

This all sounds very brutal and the poor things certainly have my sympathy but what the hell is a quokka?

[Rosemary]

It's a small marssuipial about 12 - 15 inches tall. Pointy snout, lovely dense fur, smallish sticky-up ears and is rather cute looking.

It's tail is bare, and so when the Dutch first landed there, they thought these animals were giant rats and so named the island Rats Nest - now known as Rottnest.

Unfortunately, this Island is a popular holiday destination and some of these animals have become rather tame...

Was going to upload a picture...but can't find one at the moment....

[Marky Lazer]

And they taste pretty good as well.

[jackokent]

Thank you for this, I've never heard of the things. These people sound like sickos. You have to ask what sort of person gets enjoyment from hurting defenceless animals. I'm strongly against death penalty but agree these people might be an exception. Many serial killers have developed their taste for violence by starting on animals as kids... so maybe there is a strong social argument as well as a moral one for not showing leniency.

[Tallpoppy]

thank you Rosemary for starting this thread. isn't it just disgusting?? what shocks me even more is that Oxford University is planning to open up a new animal testing lab. and they are supposed to be one of the top universities in the world. Disgusting

[I, Brian]

Pictures of Quokkas:
http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=...=Search+Images

[Rosemary]

Thank you very much for that Brian...

I shall know where to look next time

[nixie]

I cannot abide cruelty to animals.Jail sentences should be automatic for people convicted of it.

On a different note I was reading in newspaper that some idiots tried to release the Siberian Tigers from Edinburgh zoo, how stupid can you get

[Rane Longfox]

How could it be "cowardly", exactly?

[kyektulu]

This is just terrible.

Sadly it seems to be getting alot more common people harming animals, I cannot understand why...

This is disgusting I just hope that they evil people get caught and punished properly.

[hermi-nomi]

Before the thread diverts to all forms of animal cruelty I want to get my two cents in and say that animal testing is more ...acceptable than all other forms of animal cruelty, especially against pets and other tame animals.
I say animal testing is acceptable, because I have to accept animal testing for the sake of medical progress. If it wasn't for animal testing, I'd be dead by now. I'm diabetic, and insulin (which I'm dependant on) was only developed in the 1920's after testing on dogs. Killing animals for fur coats in this day and age is nothing but vaniety. Killing animals for no reason besides the fact that you enjoy it is sick. If you can kill animals just for fun, you can kill humans and I think people like that should be imprisoned. Indeed, if you can kill a pet cat that is roaming the street, you are killing a member of someones family, which is no better than killing someones son or someones sister.

I've never heard of Quokka's before. Are they numerous creatures or are they only found on this island you mentioned? It's such a same that people have been killing them for no good reason. It seems no-one has any respect for life anymore.

[Saeltari]

Originally Posted by Rane Longfox

How could it be "cowardly", exactly?

It is cowardly because they choose to attack some one or something that is unable to fight back. Therefore they are definitely cowardly in my book. Cowardly and really not worth the air they breathe. It has been shown numerous times that if a person beats on animals they will most likely beat on their kids or their spouse also. Anyone they think is weaker than they are, because it makes them feel powerful to do so. Personally I would love to take a bat, golf club or just my hands and explain things to them. Of course doing that would basically lower me to their level, but I could probably live with that in this case. Power and self worth does not come from beating something that is not able to fight back or actually hurt you. It shows a very sad weakness of character. Hope that helps explain things a bit.

[weaveworld]

That is the meanest story I have heard in a long time. I can not abide any sort of animal cruelty, I get the idea of animal testing, I don't like it but it is a part of life and hopefully one day, it won't be needed. But seriously what type of person attacks a defenceless animal? Its just wrong.

Here is a few examples...

I found one of my cats in a plastic bag stuck in a hedge because the owner didn't want him anymore! - shocking

My dog (before he became our dog) was found on the side of the road after being threw out of a car, someone saw this and the rspca were called, they arrived on the scene and they couldn't find him, but Blackie (that's what we named him) had crawled away. Sorry for going on, my granda found him 2 days later down in a ditch just off the road, now get this, he had broken ribs, two broken legs, and a broken jaw, he had been hit by a car as well, my granda obiviously didn't know that rspca had been called, etc, so he took the dog home and phoned the vet, the vet said that he wouldn't make the night, we had Blackie for the next 12 years, and he never left my granda's side. Oh before I go, they got the people who threw him out of the car, it turned out that he had been barking too much so...., well you guessed the rest.

Sorry for going on, but Rosemary your story has really ticked me off, some people are just plain mean - period!

[the_faery_queen]

it makes me cry. any story of animal cruelty makes me cry. epople are cowards when they pick on those weaker than themselves, be they animal/child/women/a smaller man.

what bothers me, personally, is how short sentences for animal cruelty can be. a few months, if that. a fine. i nkow that some people don't think animals are our equals, but they are to some of us. my two cats are like the children i don't want! i would be heartbroken if anything happened to them and the idea that someone could torture them for fun, and then only get a few months, IF they get caught at all, sickens me.