An Auckland woman has been prosecuted and banned from keeping animals for five years after birds in her care were found plucked and decorated with coloured pens.
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The SPCA said the treatment led to infections, scabs, trauma, and painful wounds for the doves. The woman told inspectors she was looking after the birds for a friend over seven days, though “she was unable to provide contact details” for the friend.
She also claimed it was “beautiful” to colour the doves.
The woman pleaded guilty and in sentencing a disqualification order was imposed, prohibiting her from keeping animals for five years, according to the SPCA. She was also ordered to pay a reparation of $2903. The charity outlined the case in a media release.
Inspectors executed a search warrant in May last year after receiving a tip-off about a “puppy and pigeons being kept in a cage together”. They found a puppy, two kittens, 10 doves, one pigeon and a deceased dove at the property.
“The member of the public was concerned that the pigeons were being crushed by the puppy, were injured and bleeding,” an SPCA spokesperson said.
“The puppy was in a small cage typically used for rodents, the kittens were free roaming, and the birds were kept in three cages.
“The cages containing the birds were dirty with old food and faeces, and only one of the three cages had water.
“All the birds, except two, had feather loss and coloured markings on their feathers.”
The woman told inspectors she “gently plucked the feathers out of the doves to get out the live bugs that suck blood”.
“The offender also told SPCA inspectors that she had used a normal coloured pen to colour the doves because it is ‘beautiful’.
“She said the deceased dove was lying down and not moving much. She had placed it in a box to rest as it had no strength and couldn’t eat.”
Following the search, the birds were taken away for an examination by a vet.
According to the SPCA, the examination revealed “the birds were in very poor condition showing symptoms of inadequate food” and “some were in severe pain which appeared to be long-term”.
SPCA chief executive Todd Westwood thanked a man for reporting his concerns.
“I’m grateful to the member of public who alerted SPCA to this situation. His concerns were legitimate, and his actions helped deliver better outcomes for everyone involved,” he said.
Westwood added: “Not everyone is set up to have companion animals and able to provide for their welfare needs. If anyone is struggling with their situation and needs help to manage the care of animals, SPCA encourages you to ask for help.”
