Man sentenced to jail after filming cruel acts against guinea pig, baby deer and fox
The man filmed himself stabbing a baby deer, using a live guinea pig to train dogs and tormenting a fox cub.
A man has filmed the moment he tormented a fox cub and causing “horrific injuries” to a deer fawn by forcefully pulling it on the ears, kicking it and stabbing it with a hunting knife.
The 33-year-old man from Wonthaggi filmed himself committing the acts against a baby deer, a fox and a guinea pig in 2019 and 2020.
Video shows the man tormenting the fox cub and causing the horrific injuries to the baby deer.
An additional three videos show him assisting another man using a guinea pig as live bait to train hunting dogs.
The Victorian Conservation Regulator first uncovered the videos of the offending during a separate investigation into native wildlife crimes in 2020.
“Yesterday’s result reflects the serious and unacceptable nature of animal cruelty in all its forms,” senior investigator Glenn Lineham said.
The 33-year-old man pleaded guilty to a magistrate on Tuesday that he had inflicted pain, suffering and terror on the animals and was sentenced to four months jail time.
Chief Conservation Regulator Kate Gavens said the court result should serve as a warning to everyone that animal cruelty comes with consequences.
“The Conservation Regulator takes all matters of wildlife crime seriously and this court result should serve as a warning to anyone that animal cruelty is comes with consequences,” she said.
“We rely on information from the community to help us investigate wildlife crimes and encourage the public to report any illegal or suspicious behaviour.”
In a related matter, a male co-offender narrowly escaped jail time due to personal circumstances.
He was convicted and fined $4000 for multiple animal cruelty offences when his case resolved in September 2021.
The Conservation Regulator encourages anyone who suspects or has information about wildlife crime to report it to Crime Stoppers Victoria on 1800 333 000. Callers can remain anonymous.
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