HORRIBLE CRUELTY TO A COW.

NZ Truth, Issue 64, 8 September 1906, Page 8

HORRIBLE CRUELTY TO A COW.

GIRLS TO THE RESCUE.

AL aA -Piteous Sight at Kilbirnie.

' "'Truth" a- few issues -back publish-ed-a paragraph m reference to a zealous Cruelty to Animals inspector who -'didn't know, a gelding from a mare. Now it frives him a chance to "extinguish hisself" m a real cruelty, case, ami one which demands urgent inquiry. Over Kilbiinie way a poor cow (this is not a bull, inspector !) was discovered on Saturday afternoon tethered by a rope its own length. Apparently from the appearance of the cow, and the, fact that there was not a blade o,f crass within coo-ec, it must have been tied up m this spot for some weeks. The animal was slowly dying of starvation and thirst, the bones were protruding from its., body. £,nd its shoulders were covered wit.'i sores and minus hair. Two young ladies happened to pass through the paddock and saw the distressing condition of the cow,, and succeeded m liberating;, it. from its bondage. The. dying animal slowly struggled to where some moist and green grass was growing m abundance, and the way, it .limped} along was extremely pitiful to witness, causing the young ladies mucheffort to keep back their tears.

Now, this is a • dreadful- state of affairs. Ivilbirnie is a thickly populated suburb, and surely someone there must have been aware! of the cow's existence ! It seems a strange thing that it was left for two Wellington yourig ladies to liberate the starving dairy cow. It remains for the inspector to discover who tied the animal un. and how lone it had been left unattended. And not only that, but there is this to consider :

If the* cow had not been attended to for some time, she could not have been milked, either. The owner, whoever he. may be, ouffht to be punished with the. utmost rigor of the law, and it rests with the energetic inspector for the 'Sqcietv for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to enquire into the dreadful matter, and prosecute the delinciuent. It is,, a serious thing that such cruelty should be allowed to exist m a Christian country ; and if our inspectors would only confine themselves to such real acts df cruelty . instead of worrying drivers of vehicles,, whose horses have, probably onl* trivial and unavoidable matters wron^ with "them (as instance "Truth's" last reference to the insnector). and keep on the gui vive for real cnieltv and suffering to onimals, they would he dom^ a lot of good, as well as relieving much misery.