A New Zealand man pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty on
Monday, after investigators found he had dumped a live cow in an offal
pit and broken the tails of hundreds of other cows on a South Island
farm.
The Ministry for Primary Industries said Michael Whitelock worked as a
dairy manager on a farm near Westport on the west coast of the South
Island from July 2012, until he was suspended in September 2013.
The ministry said it began an investigation after a vet examined the
1,100-strong herd and found 152 cows and 57 heifers had broken tails.
An MPI investigator said the cows likely had their tails deliberately twisted to force them into a milking shed.
The investigator said the pain would be similar to that suffered by a person who had his fingers broken.
MPI said Whitelock beat another cow with a fencing baton, causing a serious eye injury.
It said Whitelock then tried and failed to euthanise the cow by
shooting it before putting it in an offal pit while it was still alive.
Meanwhile, Whitelock had pleaded guilty to charges of willfully ill treating an animal, and of reckless ill treatment.
He also pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm,
possessing a firearm without a licence, possession of explosives and of
attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Whitelock was convicted on all charges and remanded on bail for sentencing on October 7.