RESCUE SHOCK
A GAP in legislation allowed one of the most horrific cases of animal neglect seasoned vets have ever seen, to carry on.
RSPCA Inspector Tracey Jackson said there was a “significant gap” in the law that allowed people to set up a Facebook page, call themselves a “rescue’’ and collect donations.
His comments come after an RSPCA raid on Storybook Farm Sacred Animal Garden Rescue found shocking cases of neglect.
BEHIND the facade of an animal sanctuary, a place for disabled and injured pets to call home or to be rehabilitated, was a house where some of the worst neglect seasoned vets have ever seen occurred.
For years, initially out of its Canungra farm before moving to north Brisbane, Storybook Farm Sacred Animal Garden Rescue portrayed itself on social media as the last hope for the animals, as expert in dealing with dachshunds stricken with IVDD (a spinal injury) and a home for pets that required a high level of care.
But when the curtain fell on Wednesday afternoon, as the RSPCA raided the north Brisbane property, the neglect of the animals became painfully apparent.
The conditions and injuries pushed seasoned vets to tears and shocked the RSPCA’s chief inspector.
And they are horrific. A video released by the RSPCA shows animals with terrible injuries, the squalor they were living in and faeces and urine everywhere. They had been locked in cages and left there.
The animals appear terrified. They are filthy, malnourished, many limping terribly – truly heartbreaking footage.
Two animals, Barry the dalmatian and a horse, have been euthanised by the RSPCA due to their terrible injuries and poor health. Nothing could be done to save them, while 36 other animals were seized and are undergoing health checks at the RSPCA’s Wacol centre.
It is understood the RSPCA was tipped off by a concerned member of the public and initially raided a property connected with the group last week, seizing three horses, one of which had to be put down, before raiding the main farm on Wednesday.
RSPCA Queensland chief inspector Daniel Young said they had interviewed Storybook Farm owner, Lisa-Jayne Cameron.
Ms Cameron has not returned The Bulletin’s messages for comment about the case.
“It’s an ongoing investigation … so I can’t really discuss the conversations we’ve had with her.
“To date, we’ve been offered no reason or explanation to why these animals are in that condition.”
Mr Young said the fact the farm had been promoted as a sanctuary for animals made it one of the worst cases he had seen.
“It wasn’t just the living conditions, it was also some of the injuries that these animals were carrying at the time were pretty distressing,” Mr Young said.
“It’s a very serious case but I guess the difference here is, this isn’t the typical backyard operation … it’s an actual rescue group that is a sanctuary for animals.
“Looking at it from that perspective, it’s certainly up there with some of the worst cases, given it was meant to be providing a place of care.”
Mr Young said seasoned veterinary staff were brought to tears when they were forced to put the dalmatian down.
“The pain that the dog (Barry) would have been enduring, and to think we had to intervene to get it into a place of care, only to be the ones responsible for humanely euthanising it, is a pretty tough gig for those guys to deal with.
“That’s not what we’re about. We want to rescue and rehome these animals wherever possible,
WE WANT TO RESCUE AND REHOME THESE ANIMALS BUT THAT WASN’T POSSIBLE DANIEL YOUNG, RSPCA
but that wasn’t possible for poor Barry.
“It’s really early days (to know what will happen to the other animals), probably too early to give a prognosis for all of them. It will be a long road to recovery and they are in the best possible hands and we’ve got a team working around the clock to look after them.”
The RSPCA was inundated with complaints from people who donated money to the group. They were encouraged to contact police.
“RSPCA do not have powers to investigate these kinds of issues,” RSPCA Queensland CFO Nick Crethar said.
Amy Robinson, who runs a group dedicated to dachshunds, said they stopped fundraising for Storybook Farm after suspecting something was not right.
“I'm shocked.” Ms Robinson said.
“I attended her property several years ago, dropping off donations. When I was there I was refused access to see any of the animals. We were kept in the carport, my kids even refused access to a toilet. For me, that was alarm bells. For the amount of money we had raised, why wouldn’t you let me poke my nose in and see the animals?”
To foster one of the animals rescued from Storybook Farm, contact fostering@rspcaqld.org.au or phone 3426 9997 for an information pack and expression of interest form.