posted 12-19-2003 05:12 PM                       

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'Pig and Pussy' cull in Outback town angers animal lovers
by Nick Squires in Sydney

Australian animal lovers are outraged at an Outback town's plan to hold a Christmas 'pig and pussy hunt', in which wild boar and feral cats will be shot, knifed, dynamited and run over.

Up to 100 hunters from all over Australia are converging on the former gold mining town of Pine Creek, in the Northern Territory, to take part in the hunt, which starts at dawn on Boxing Day.

Organisers say the aim is to wipe out as many wild pigs and cats as possible. Both species are blamed for killing millions of native Australian animals each year, including endangered mammals, lizards, snakes and birds. 'We don't care how you kill them, just as long as you get rid of them,' said organiser Rod Haines, a hunter who runs Pine Creek's Lazy Lizard caravan park.

'You can shoot them from a helicopter, run them over on the road, get them with a bow and arrow or chuck a stick of dynamite at them,' he enthused. He added that the last option is not recommended, after hunters strapped a stick of dynamite to a wild pig a few years ago and lit the fuse. The creature promptly bolted under their car, blowing itself and the hunters' vehicle to pieces.

There are an estimated 2.5 million feral pigs in the Northern Territory, and the larger males are renowned for their ferocity and razor-sharp tusks. Most hunters will pursue them at night with 'pig dogs', usually bull mastiffs or pit bull terriers equipped with rubber body armour. Once the dogs have dragged the boar down, hunters move in with long knives, stabbing the animal behind the shoulder blades and piercing its heart. Feral cats are harder to kill, and are usually shot with the aid of a spotlight.

'Anything which steps off the veranda is fair game,' Mr. Haines said. 'You can knock off a neighbour's cat if it's not been locked up at night, as it should be. I'm not a cruel man but these animals are wiping out our wildlife. We are just giving Mother Nature a helping hand.'

Jim McNally, head of the RSPCA in the Northern Territory, said: 'They chase the pig until it is terrified and exhausted, and then cut its throat. It's cruel and inhumane.'

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posted 12-24-2003 09:30 AM                       

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In my opinion people should have some kind of license to own pets. The license itself should be somewhat easy to obtain, provided you have a job, a home and are thus able to provide and take care of a pet. But points would be taken off the license if your pet runs loose. You loose points for not keeping the animal's shots up to date. You take much bigger hits for animal neglect or for letting your dog get run over and turned into road pizza. If your pit bull mauls someone, or you're found participating in a dog fighting game, you lose your rights to ever own a pet again for the rest of your life. It doesn't matter if it is a f**king hamster.

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Anne's dog 'kills Queen's corgi'

One of the Queen's corgis has been bitten so badly by an English bull terrier owned by Princess Anne it has had to be put down, it is reported. The corgi, Pharos, was attacked by the princess's dog Dotty at Sandringham on Monday, according to newspaper reports.

Princess Anne became the first Royal Family member to be convicted of a criminal offence when Dotty attacked two children last year. She was fined £500 and ordered to keep the animal on a lead in public places.

Monday's events had left the Queen 'distraught', the Daily Mail reported. Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on the alleged incident.

Children bitten

The Queen's love for her corgis is well known and they were last seen in public milling around the feet of England's World Cup rugby stars at a reception at Buckingham Palace earlier this month.

Princess Anne appeared before magistrates in November 2002 and pleaded guilty to a charge that one of her dogs attacked two children in Windsor Great Park.

In that attack, a 12-year-old boy suffered a bite on the collarbone and two bites to the left leg while a seven-year-old boy was left with scratch marks on a leg, his back and an arm. The children's parents were angry that the princess escaped with a fine and the dog was not put down.

However at the time the judge at Slough magistrates court warned any future attacks could result in Dotty being destroyed.

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