Renbury Farm Animal Shelter accused of animal cruelty in online petition

EXCLUSIVE: An animal rescuer has called on four mayors to audit Renbury Farm Animal Shelter after it was accused of animal cruelty.

AN ANIMAL rescuer has called on four mayors to audit Renbury Farm Animal Shelter after it was accused of animal cruelty.

The shelter came under fire after an online petition was posted on Change.org last week, attracting more than 5000 signatures.

Rescuer James Barone has forwarded the petition to the mayors of Liverpool, Fairfield, Bankstown and Camden councils, which help fund Renbury Farm, asking for a response.

The petition was prompted by the alleged euthanising of 20 “healthy cats and kittens” a week earlier on February 25, according to the website.

Renbury Farm staff publish an updated register of animals with dates they are due to be destroyed.

The online petition.

However other animal rescuers, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Leader the cats had been put to sleep four days prior to the date announced on Renbury’s website.

“Twenty cats were scheduled to be euthanised on Februrary 29, then disappeared (from the site) four days earlier,” rescuer Sam said.

Renbury chief executive Stephen Cole disputed this claim, stating “all cats were held for 14 days or more.”

Allegations of animal neglect and abuse were also referred to in the petition and numerous comments on the web site.

Alexandria Osbourne, who rehomes cats through Kitty Cat Rescues, said she had rescued about 10 “unhealthy” felines from the shelter since 2014.

She said the first she collected was in a terrible state.

Camden Mayor Lara Symkowiak

Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun

“(The staff) told me the cat was healthy and had been treated,” Ms Osbourne said.

“The cat looked like it had the flu, so I took it to the vet straight away and he said it was in the worst condition he had ever seen.”

Another rescuer, Stacey, first visited Renbury in 2012 and said she had “never seen so any animals affected by cat flu in one room”.

She claimed the staff did not exhibit proper hygiene methods, such as washing their hands in between touching the sick animals.

Mr Cole flatly denied abuse allegations.

“Animal neglect and mistreatment simply isn’t allowed at Renbury,” he said. “If a staff member is seen to be neglectful or mistreat an animal their employment would be, and has been, terminated immediately.”

Mr Cole admitted disease control “is always an ongoing challenge” but stated the shelter has protocols in place, including vaccinating dogs on arrival, cleaning with disinfectants, placing animals into isolation when symptoms appear and veterinary care.

Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour

Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone

Renbury Farm received more than $735,000 from the four combined councils in the 2014-2015 financial year.

While none of the councils have made a formal reply, Liverpool Council confirmed it is currently engaged in a tender process for pound services to seek a new operator at Renbury.

“Council has noted in the relevant tender documents that the new service will be run under a low-kill policy,” chief executive Carl Wulff said.

Several rescuers had concerns about the shelter’s euthanising methods, claiming the shelter uses crush cages to hold the animal still while adminstering a lethal injection into the animal’s heart.

Australian Veterinary Association president Dr Robert Johnson said intracardiac injections, or heart stick euthanasia, isn’t the preferred method for putting down an animal.

“The standard process at present is … the animal is sedated and then the euthanising agent is administered intravenously (in the vein),” he said.

However, he confirmed crush cages were typically used to restrain vicious dogs or cats but said it was essential the animal was sedated during the process

While Renbury did not confirm the cages or where the injection is administered, they did state they sedate animals prior to euthanising them.

“All cats are sedated prior to euthanising and dogs as required,” Mr Cole said.

Animal Welfare League Inspector Ian Hughes with a sick puppy.

Animal Welfare League inspector Ian Hughes had nothing negative to say about Renbury.

“Staff are very caring and the shelter is always clean,” Insp Hughes said. “They have no hesitation in giving me a call when they’ve got concerns about an animal ... the staff at the pound are just as keen to see people prosecuted from animal neglect and cruelty as we are.”