Animals in line of fire

Cats, a possum and a shark are among the hundreds of animals shot at by police.

But top of the list of animals they have fired at over the past five years are cattle, dogs and sheep.

Deer, horses, goats, pigs and a bird have also come under fire.

Police have shot at 348 animals between 2010 and 2015 and the number of animals that ‘‘had a firearm used against them’’ increased from 61 in 2010-11 to 76 in 2014-15, according to figures released under the Official Information Act.

Police refused to identify whether the animals were killed or survived the shootings.

Most of the shots fired were justified under the Animal Welfare Act for the destruction of an injured or sick animal, police say.

National operations and response manager Superintendent Chris Scahill said that, in about one in five cases, animals were fired upon when police officers were protecting themselves or another person. Police also had the law on their side to shoot dogs if they were attacking a person or another dog.

Animals on the run were also targeted if they posed a significant risk of serious injury or death to road users.

However, Federated Farmers animal welfare spokesman and Feilding cattle farmer Andrew Hoggard questioned whether police were too quick to fire their weapons at an animal on the run.

‘‘To be honest, from what I’ve seen in the media and on television, I wonder if some of the cops are looking for an excuse to use their toys,’’ he said.

‘‘A police officer may not know animals like a farmer and, as a farmer, I see other ways of handling the situation. Farm animals get out all the time and we don’t shoot them.’’

In August, a rampaging cow was fatally shot by police in Whanganui. The agitated animal began heading towards a local school and police had no choice but to put the animal down.

Hoggard said he wondered if there wasn’t an alternative outcome.

Land-based animals were not the only creatures fired on by police.

In 2013, an officer armed with a M4 Bushmaster rifle 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, Kumeu-based Constable Rob Bailey went into hiding for fear he would be hounded by animal rights activists.

Angry comments about the officer’s actions peppered social media sites and talkback radio.

A few months later, Bailey was awarded a District Commander’s Commendation for his actions and praised by witnesses for his bravery.

Wellington SPCA chief executive and former animal inspector Steve Glassey said police were a key partner in animal welfare and he was confident they did not find killing animals an enjoyable part of their job.

‘‘For a police officer, a firearm was a logical and responsible method of humanely dealing with an animal.’’

A police spokesperson said officers worked closely with SPCA inspectors, council dog rangers, vets, and farmers before deciding to shoot at animals.

‘‘The decision for a police officer to destroy an animal is made on a case-by-case basis and involves more than just welfare issues for the animal.

‘‘It is dependent on factors such as immediate public safety risk (eg a cattle beast running head-on into fast-moving traffic on a motorway), the suffering of an animal particularly if it is sick or injured (eg after a crash of a stock transporter, or a dog attack on a sheep), and the immediate availability of other options to destroy the animal, such as a veterinarian.’’

The number of animals shot over the past five years did not show ‘‘any statistically significant trends or concerns that police are destroying animals unnecessarily’’.

The statement urged Hoggard to contact police directly if he had any issues around destroying animals.