A Tasmanian woman who filmed herself holding a native animal by its tail while her dog savaged it and then uploaded the video to Tik Tok because she thought it was "funny", has been ordered to pay a $4,000 fine by a magistrate.
WARNING: This story contains details of animal cruelty which may cause distress to some readers.
The Hobart Magistrates Court heard Emma Weitnauer came across the pademelon while she was on a walk with her Jack Russell terrier called Patch in December, 2021 at Russell River, in southern Tasmania.
The court was told the 28-year-old encouraged her dog to chase and attack the pademelon before making 15 separate videos over a 13-minute period, with Weitnauer heard to command her dog to "get it" a total of 42 times, along with "bite it", and "Patch, get it".
The videos, which were soundtracked with the 1970s Gary Glitter song Rock and Rock Part II and uploaded to the social media platform TikTok, show her dog swimming after the fleeing animal and biting it over and over, while in the river and on land.
The video shows the pademelon trying to defend itself as it was being attacked before Weitnauer holds the visibly exhausted animal by its tail, so her dog can continue to savage it.
The court heard Weitnauer then "stomped" on the animal's head with "steel-capped boots" because she thought she should "put it out of its misery", causing the animal to die.
Weitnauer pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated cruelty to an animal, dog attacking animal, taking partly protected wildlife and a charge of taking any form of partly protected wildlife, which relates to a separate incident.
The court was told wildlife officers were alerted to the video several days later and interviewed Weitnauer, who told them she "felt guilty" even though she "felt it was kinda funny at the time".
She explained she thought hunters who had dogs "might've got a kick out of it" [seeing the TikTok video] but had a "great respect for animals" and was "regretful" of the event.
Magistrate Reg Marron said, "without any shade of doubt this offence attracts the highest level of public attention, and consequently the Animal Welfare Act has changed … to reflect the public won't tolerate the offence".
"Posting it [to social media] had an aggravating effect," he said.
Magistrate Marron ordered Weitnauer to pay a $4,000 fine and said he was "pretty certain he wouldn't see her back here again".
Outside court, the 28-year-old was asked whether she had a message for other people who may be thinking of committing a similar offence, replying, "don't do it".
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary Director Greg Irons said the videos were "horrific".
"This is an assault on a completely defenceless, tiny animal, using a dog, filming it and calling it 'funny.'"
"At the end of the day, if you're not outraged by this, then something is wrong".
He said reports of cruelty to animals were rising.
"The public needs to stand up and say, enough is enough. Our poor wildlife rangers are run off their feet, trying to follow up all of these cases and the numbers are going up. They're not going down."
Mr Irons suggested that it could be more productive if people who were found guilty of animal cruelty or a similar offence, were also ordered to spend a month with sick or injured wildlife.
Members of the public who find injured animals are urged to contact Bonorong Wildlife Rescue on 0447 264 625 (all hours).
