Cow cruelty was a 'horrible sight'

WHEN Don Durrant went searching for three of his cows, he came across a disgusting sight. (WARNING: graphic image).

WHEN Don Durrant went searching for three of his cows, he came across a disgusting sight.

Mr Durrant has 100 cattle on his vast Afterlee property and while he was renewing a fence line, three of them escaped.

He followed their tracks across the green hills.

Then he smelt something putrid.

"I followed my nose into bladey grass and followed some 4WD tracks," he said.

He found two cows, one badly decomposed, and the other bloated.

Cows found dead on a property at Afterlee believed to be victims of animal cruelty.

"The cattle were side by side with their legs spread," he said.

"They didn't die like that."

It was clear to Mr Durrant that someone had laid the cow in that position and dragged them to the secluded spot with a 4WD.

"It was a horrible sight," he said.

He contacted his neighbour Gary Fuller who came and cut off the ear tags. They weren't Mr Durrant's cows but belonged to another neighbour.

Mr Durrant took photos as evidence.

Both men knew who was the likely culprit and they rang the Kyogle Police.

"I was hoping to make a statement on what I saw to the police," Mr Durrant said.

"But two days later they'd gone cold on the whole thing."

Lack of evidence was cited and when Mr Durrant rang the RSPCA, they listened to his story but nothing was done.

The neighbours are worried the problem will escalate.

"Good fences are needed," Mr Durrant said, " but there's always a problem. A tree can fall on a fence. But if a cow gets out, you tell your neighbour."

In NSW, cruelty to animals can be prosecuted as either a misdemeanour or felony with a fine up to $1000 and a possible imprisonment up to one year. Intentionally and maliciously torturing or injuring an animal can be prosecuted as either a misdemeanour or felony with a fine up to $5000 and/or imprisonment up to five years.