Hobby farmer pleads guilty to dozens of animal cruelty charges after leaving creatures without water

His hobby farm was an awful sight – thirsty and starving animals locked in dirty cages covered in faeces, with the carcasses of marsupials and ducks nearby. And it wasn’t the first time.

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HIS hobby farm was an awful sight – thirsty and starving animals locked in dirty cages covered in faeces, with the carcasses of marsupials and ducks nearby.

Sheep, peacocks, dogs, a puppy, a long-billed corella, a guinea pig, ducks, galahs, quails, finches, pigeons, budgerigars, canaries and silkies – they’d all allegedly been left either without water, feed or both.

To make matters worse, it wasn’t the first time that Midlands farmer Ken David Pietters Rosendale had left his creatures without care.

On Thursday, he appeared in the Hobart Magistrates Court, where he pleaded guilty to 30 counts of animal cruelty, one count of using a management method likely to cause unreasonable pain or suffering, and one count of having custody of an animal in contravention of an order.

Ken David Pietters Rosendale (right) with his lawyer outside the Hobart Magistrates Court. Rosendale, a Levendale hobby farmer, has pleaded guilty to 32 animal cruelty-related charges. Picture: Amber Wilson

Back in 2014, RSPCA officers visited his 94-acre property at Levendale and found a number of animals so emaciated from malnutrition they were unable to stand and several pigs and goats had to be put down.

At the time, he copped a three-month suspended jail term, was banned from owning goats and pigs, and was ordered to permanently limit his poultry flock to 20 birds.

But history repeated itself, tragically for the unfortunate animals in Rosendale’s care.

On Thursday, prosecutor Emily Bill produced a number of photographs and three videos showing what Biosecurity Officers discovered when they returned to Rosendale’s property in February 2019.

She said chicken and sheep enthusiastically rushed to tubs of water that officers gave the parched animals after finding the birds trying to drink droplets of water that were dripping down a mud flap.

Ken Rosendale in 2014, after pleading guilty to multiple animal cruelty charges.

Ken Rosendale washing a Houdan fowl at the Royal Hobart Show.

Other water bowls were left contaminated with faeces, feathers and dirt.

On their fourth visit, the officers seized the animals and provided them with food, water and care at a secure location.

Some of the animals recovered – but some were so ill, depressed and sick that they were euthanased.

Ms Bill said when Rosendale was interviewed by police, he said he would feed and water the animals before work each morning.

She said he said he didn’t put his hand in to feed the corella “because it was nasty”, pouring water in instead, and fed roadkill to the dogs.

He claimed he filled up the water containers each morning, but they were typically empty by the following day, Ms Bill said.

Rosendale’s defence lawyer said the Sorell School groundsman thought his animal ban had expired.

“(But) Mr Rosendale is accepting that, the second time around, something has gone wrong at his place.”

Magistrate Chris Webster said he would likely place an indefinite order on Rosendale that he not own any more animals in the future, and also subject him to a 12-month home detention order.

If he is deemed unsuitable for home detention, Rosendale could face three months in jail.

The case is due to return to court on February 11 next year.

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