Police have seized dozens of cats and kittens during raids in regional Victoria, as charges are laid against three other people over separate incidents of animal cruelty in other states.
Authorities searched two properties in the Ballarat region on Friday as part of a probe into a suspected illegal kitten rearing and selling operation.
They say 30 felines were found in unsanitary and confined conditions, with many unable to access water.
RSPCA Victoria revealed the investigation involves two persons of interest who have previously been prosecuted by the authority for similar offending but did not release further information.
The search was prompted by a tip off from a member of the public.
“We will continue to pursue all individuals engaging in this behaviour, no matter the complexity of the investigation or the time or resources required,” RSPCA Victoria’s Inspectorate Team Leader Lisa Calleja said.
It came as authorities in NSW and Western Australia also laid charges over unrelated acts of alleged animal cruelty.
A 60-year-old man was arrested at a home in Sydney’s east, accused of capturing and injuring an Ibis.
He allegedly tied up its neck and feet with a rope outside Eastwood Railway Station on Tuesday and caused it to bleed.
Witnesses say the man attempted to put the animal into a wheeled trolley bag but members of the public managed to stop that from happening and he quickly left the area.
He was charged with two counts of harming or attempt to harm a protected animal and committing an act of cruelty upon an animal.
In WA, a couple were charged after allegedly leaving their dog without adequate water for almost a month.
RSPCA investigators found a staffy in the backyard of a home at Bindoon, about 80 kilometres north of Perth, with no access to water in December.
The animal welfare authority says a Bindoon woman, 25, admitted to leaving the dog with a bucket of biscuits and water while she and her partner were away between November and December.
The pair face a maximum penalty of five years in prison or a $50,000 fine if found guilty.
-AAP
