Co-founders of animal rescue centre SAHARA Carole Morris and Shane Jones charged with multiple animal cruelty offences

An SA animal rescue centre is facing multiple cruelty charges, with animals allegedly left suffering in pain and in their own faeces, court documents reveal.

Co-founders of SAHARA, Shane Jones and Carole Morris are charged with multiple animal cruelty offences. Picture: Supplied

A South Australian rescue association that boasts “we won’t turn our backs” on animals has been charged with ill-treating several animals under its care.

Carole Louise Morris, 58, and Shane Anthony Jones, 54, allegedly had possums festering in their own faeces, dogs with severely matted coats and multiple animals suffering at their Mid-North rescue association.

The co-founders of the South Australian Humane Animal Rescue Association (SAHARA) did not appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday, charged with multiple animal cruelty offences.

Court documents revealed SAHARA allegedly ill-treated animals between May 21 and August 20, 2019 at Black Springs.

This included allegedly failing to provide adequate food to two dogs, a male staffordshire bull terrier named Cruize and a female American bulldog-cross named Daisy, who also had an ulcer on her left rump.

The documents also revealed between February 21 and August 20, 2019 at Black Springs, SAHARA allegedly failed to take reasonable steps to mitigate harm to two dogs.

It is alleged a Maltese-cross named Suzie had a severely matted coat and a male pug-mix dog named Sim had overgrown toenails, bilateral dry eyes, bilateral ear infections and dental disease.

Between October 10, 2019 at Morgan, SAHARA also allegedly failed to provide three unnamed brushtail possums with adequate space to live and an environment free from the accumulation of faeces.

Between August 13 and September 9, 2019 at Morgan, SAHARA allegedly failed to take reasonable steps to mitigate harm suffered by a palomino pony mare named Ashley who had overgrown rear hoofs and a bay mare named Eileen who was suffering from colic and stomatitis.

SAHARA are charged with multiple animal cruelty offences. Photo: Facebook

The court documents also revealed a female thoroughbred-type horse named Winky, also known as Marley, allegedly had an injury to her left eye, in which her ocular globe was ruptured and her cornea thickened and scarred.

Morris, of Wingfield, and Jones, of Ramco, are charged with 11 counts of mistreating an animal and seven counts of member of body corp, governing body charged with offence.

SAHARA is also charged with seven counts of mistreating an animal.

On its website, SAHARA says it takes its “adoption process very seriously”.

“It may be lengthy but it is designed to ensure that our animals will never experience abandonment or displacement again,” it says.

The rescue association, formerly known as SA Dog Rescue, lists on their website they are a registered not-for-profit organisation that takes in ill, injured, senior and animals on death row that are often overlooked, even by other rescues and shelters.

“When other humans let them down, we won’t turn our backs on them, as in the heart of every stray lies the single desire to be loved,” the website says.

A Department for Environment and Water spokesperson confirmed it had began proceedings against SAHARA, Morris and Jones for a number of alleged offences under the Animal Welfare Act 1985.

“As proceedings are now before the court, the Department is unable to make any further comment,” the spokesperson said.

In the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Magistrate Brett Dixon adjourned the charges until May.

Originally published as Co-founders of animal rescue centre SAHARA Carole Morris and Shane Jones charged with multiple animal cruelty offences