Dominic Feain
Another animal has been found decapitated near Byron Bay following the brutal beheading of a wallaby two weeks ago.
A resident who asked not to be named found a mutilated duck beside the Ewingsdale Road bike track between McGettigans Lane and Bayshore Drive last Friday.
‘My first reaction was “how would that duck’s head come off like that and be placed so close to its body”,’ the resident said.
‘It bothered me the entire ride so on the return journey I took photos and called Sue Arnold (from Australians for Animals) to report this in case this duck was also a victim of decapitation along with the wallaby at Wategos, and that this practice is continuing.’
Ms Arnold, on behalf of Australians for Animals, offered a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone responsible for the wallaby’s death.
She said last week that her organisation was particularly concerned that police were not investigating the incident.
‘The point is we’ve got people running around killing wallabies,’ she said.
‘It’s like the case last year where 12 wallabies were found slaughtered (at Seven Mile Beach), and now a beheading? This indicates we have a lunatic wandering around, or more to the point, several.’
Ms Arnold said the killings were having a distressing effect on the community and police had an obligation under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to investigate the case.
The NPWS are investigating the wallaby killing and has urged anyone with information to contact them on 6620 9300. A spokesperson added that the service was still investigating the wallaby shootings at Seven Mile Beach last year but believed the number killed was less than the 12 reported.
Australians for Animals can be contacted on 6680 3674.
Not even a warning that a potentially distressing graphic image will be viewable if we click through to the story? We can read, we understand what decapitated means, I would never choose to view this picture or have this image imprinted on my mind. We do not need a hideous image of violence and mutilation to make the words take on meaning. Please, put some thought into it next time (although I fervently hope there won’t be a cause for a “next time”) – a graphic content warning on the original page to inform readers before they click through to the full story, and please place the photograph at the bottom of the text.
Apart from this being somwhat bizare, Is not the killing of animals like this how a serial killer gets started, I would have thought the police would be interested in stopping this fledgling killer before Byron becomes Australias next Wolf Creek.
Rather bad journalism in the first place to be reporting teenage pranks. Now you’ve given them reason to kill more or do something worse for the celebrity of their work.
it could of happened by accident with the spokes of a pushbike..rather than a serial killer..should look to the obvious first..before fowl play is suspected
Precisely, Scott. For that reason all offenders who torture, maim or kill animals should be punished to the full extent of the law instead of being given a slap on the wrist as they usually are. Police apathy seems to reflect the unwillingness of magistrates to seriously punish perpetrators. Not good enough. Those who want stronger laws to protect animals (and therefore people) can choose to vote for The Animal Justice Party at the next election.