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Australian Government Executes Rescue Dogs To Prevent The Spread Of COVID

This was NOT one of the dogs that was shot. Photo by Tim P. Whitby. Getty.

Melanie Wilcox Contributor
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A rural council in New South Wales, a state on the east coast of Australia, shot and killed multiple impounded dogs over COVID-19 concerns, which prompted a government investigation, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The Bourke Shire Council killed the dogs to prevent volunteers at an animal shelter based in the town of Cobar from traveling to pick them up, the council’s watchdog, the Office of Local Government, told The Sydney Morning Herald. (RELATED: ANALYSIS: Australia Once Again Proves It Is Basically An Island Of Prisoners With COVID Restrictions)

“[The Office of Local Government] has been informed that the council decided to take this course of action to protect its employees and community, including vulnerable Aboriginal populations, from the risk of COVID-19 transmission,” a spokesman from the government agency said.

The spokesman told The Sydney Morning Herald the agency is trying to determine if the Bourke Shire Council broke companion animal cruelty and prevention laws. The Sydney Morning Herald also tried contacting the council administration several times and someone from the Rural Outback Respite/Rescue – the shelter that was supposed to take the dogs – would not provide a comment to them.

“We are deeply distressed and completely appalled by this callous dog shooting and we totally reject council’s unacceptable justifications that this killing was apparently undertaken as part of a COVID- safe plan,” Lisa Ryan, Animal Liberation’s regional campaign manager, told The Sydney Morning Herald.