Bunny Park staff to face cruelty charges
A case of cruelty to animals will be laid against the three Benoni Bunny Park workers who allegedly kicked a rabbit and poured motor oil on a chicken.
According to Vicky Finnemore, Benoni SPCA senior inspector and acting manager, the organisation will press charges in the next few days.
The City Times reported, in the newspaper dated May 6, that three park employees were involved in kicking a rabbit on May 2, apparently for no reason.
The animal died at the park, in the care of one of the volunteers of the Bunny Park Animals 911 Group.
In addition, the group said, motor oil had been poured over a chicken to ward off fleas.
The SPCA took a decision to euthanase the chicken on the same day.
Shelley Ownes, co-chairperson of the Benoni SPCA, told the City Times at the time that if a post-mortem revealed the animals died (or the chicken suffered) inhumanely, legal action would be taken against the guilty employees.
Finnemore said this morning that the vet’s report, which the SPCA received on May 12, confirmed that the rabbit had sustained trauma to the head and that the chicken did have motor oil on it.
The SPCA posted on its Facebook page: “Based on the results, we have decided to go ahead with the prosecution of the three Bunny Park employees who were witnessed abusing these animals”.
Metro spokesperson Themba Gadebe said he would have to establish the progress of the investigation into the employees’ conduct.
Also read: DISTURBING IMAGE: Animal allegedly kicked to death at Bunny Park
