Police use ‘tactical options’ on 153 animals
More than 150 animals have been hit, injured or killed by police in the past year.
The 153 animals had either a firearm, Taser, pepper spray, baton or a hand used against them.
They included 114 dogs, 25 cows, five sheep, three goats, three deer, one horse, one hare and a wallaby.
Records of whether the animals were killed, wounded or simply hit were not provided by police.
However, the number of animals injured or killed has gone down substantially – there were 249 animals in 2017 and 191 animals in 2018.
Some of the more unusual animals to have borne the brunt of police force were a llama shot in 2010 and a dolphin in 2015. In 2013 and 2016, a goat and a domestic pig were tasered by police.
In 2013, an officer shot repeatedly at a great white pointer shark hoping to scare it away after it had killed swimmer Adam Strange off Muriwai Beach.
After the incident, Kumeubased Constable Rob Bailey went into hiding for fear he would be hounded by animal rights activists.
Between 2010 and 2019, four marine mammals were also shot, along with five cats and two pet birds in 2015.
A police spokesman said there were two reasons why police might use a ‘‘tactical option’’ on an animal.
‘‘The first is the animal poses an immediate risk to a member of the public or themselves – for example, a dog that has attacked a member of the public and continues to display aggressive behaviour.
‘‘In this situation an officer will assess what tactical option will mitigate the risk while using the least force possible,’’ he said.
‘‘The second is the animal has been badly injured and putting them down immediately is the most humane solution. Often this occurs when cars hit animals such as cattle.’’
The spokesman said it wasn’t possible to say whether Tasers were safe to use on animals as every animal was a different size and had a different physiology.
Similarly, pepper spray would be effective on some animals but not others.
Miles Anderson, Federated Farmers’ meat and wool chairman and animal welfare spokesman, said generally the shooting of farm animals by police was an ‘‘essential task’’.
‘‘Usually this would be euthanising animals hit by cars or involved in traffic accidents, or wild animals or livestock in public places that are hazardous to vehicles or people. It often needs to be done quickly and by someone with firearms training. It makes sense for police to do it.’’
SAFE chief executive Debra Ashton said she hoped police would ‘‘proceed with caution’’ before using force against animals.
‘‘Basic animal handling skills needs to be included in police training to avoid the need to use force and using force should be a last resort. If there’s a risk to police or public safety, we understand the need to use force.’’