Kitten cut in two, starved guinea pigs and heat-distressed dogs are among the animal cruelty cases in Otago to make the Royal New Zealand SPCA's sixth annual list of shame.
The list details 50 examples of cruelty to animals nationwide, revealing "shocking depths of sadism, brutality and callousness towards animals" which happened in the year to October 1.
SPCA Otago senior inspector Stephanie Saunders said while she believed people were acting more responsibly towards animals, the list showed that unfortunately there were still a lot of "truly sick people out there".
The four Dunedin cases included a kitten found in a Dunedin cemetery, half of its body in a rubbish bin and other half several metres away.
In January, the SPCA received eight calls in one day about dogs shut in vehicles suffering heat distress.
"In that weather, the only time a dog should be in a vehicle is . . . on the way to the beach."
The SPCA was seeking to prosecute the owner of eight guinea pigs left to starve to death in July when a woman left a property in Momona, near Dunedin.
They had so far been unable to locate her.
In September, on the Taieri, a calf was discovered with severe injuries to two legs and despite evidence of pain and distress, the owner had decided to ignore it and fatten it for sausages, she said.
"What was of concern to me was that he was a long-time farmer who should have known better."
SPCA's national chief executive Robyn Kippenberger said a particularly chilling feature of the list was the number of incidents of cruelty involving children and young people, such as the two Hastings youths who kicked and tossed a young lamb and the 8-year-old from Upper Hutt seen hitting a puppy and throwing it against a wall.
"A further clear cause for concern is the number of animals injured by slug gun pellets and similar projectiles. There are signs that children are being allowed or even encouraged to use animals for target practice," she said.
