Fury erupts after Australian officers kill rescue dogs for fears of COVID-19

Australian district officials have sparked a storm of controversy after ordering the killing of several rescue dogs confiscated over fears of COVID-19 transmission, prompting a government investigation.

The Bourke Shire Rural Council in New South Wales ordered the dogs to be shot last week to prevent volunteers at an animal shelter from traveling to the pound to pick them up as part of a process for finding homes for animals, according to the Local Government Office, which oversees local councils, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Sunday.

It was not immediately known how many dogs died. One of them was reportedly a female who had recently given birth to a litter of puppies.

“OLG has been informed that the council decided to take this action to protect its employees and the community, including vulnerable Aboriginal populations, from the risk of COVID-19 transmission,” an office statement said.

There has been an increase in cases in New South Wales. But according to NSW health data, there have been no recent cases of COVID-19 in Cobar, where the shelter is located, although evidence of the virus has been detected in the Cobar sewer system.

The OLG is now investigating to determine whether the council violated animal cruelty prevention laws, according to the Herald.

Shelter volunteers are worried about the killings, a source told the Herald. According to the source, they had put in place COVID security measures carefully devised to pick up the dogs.

There was no official word from the town hall or the shelter, which the Telegraph identified as the rural animal rescue / rescue center.

Despite a blockade and other strict restrictions due to COVID-19, the NSW government told animal shelters that they could continue to operate with COVID safety plans in place, Australian service News Corp reported.

“We are deeply distressed and completely horrified by this insensitive shooting of dogs,” Animal Liberation activist Lisa Ryan told the Herald.

“We totally reject the council’s unacceptable justifications that this murder was apparently carried out as part of a safe COVID plan.”