A man has been charged with burglary, and a dog recovered, after a break in at the Nelson SPCA which left three animals missing.
In a statement, police today said a 32-year-old man has been charged with burglary.
Distressed SPCA staff yesterday showed 1News damage to the facility including cuts to fences, and said animals had been released from their crates and cages.
After reviewing CCTV footage and following lines of inquiry, police said they located a suspect in Tapawera. A search of the man’s vehicle located a dog, believed to be one of the missing animals.
Nelson SPCA manager Amy Sturkenboom told 1News one-year-old labrador collie cross Frankie had been found and returned on Wednesday.
Black cat Boris remained missing. It’s thought he could be roaming and the public was asked to keep an eye out for the cat who was usually very friendly with people.
Another dog, Simba, was initially also initially missing after the break-in but a sighting was reported by a member of the public and SPCA staff were able to lure him back with treats.
In an interview yesterday, Sturkenboom said staff were shocked when they arrived at work on Monday morning. “Any area that had been accessed, the animals were out.”
Fences were cut and animals were running loose after a break-in at the Nelson SPCA on Sunday evening. (Source: 1News)
Sturkenboom said, because dogs were mixing with kittens, the outcome could have been dangerous as they hadn’t been socialised together.
SPCA general manager of animal service Corey Regnerus-Kell said there had been a rise in SPCA centres being targetted.