KOALAS at Gunnedah’s Waterway’s Wildlife Park had been dehydrated and suffering malnutrition, NSW RSPCA chief executive Steve Coleman has said.
RSPCA officers removed eight koalas – the park’s total koala population – on Wednesday.
The intervention has shocked the country community with more than 1000 people now members of a Facebook website established on Friday to support the park’s operators, Nancy and Col Small.
Mr Coleman said it was important for people to remember there were two sides to every story.
He was responding to allegations by Nancy Small.
Mrs Small said yesterday that an RSPCA officer had been aggressive and abusive towards her volunteers.
She claimed the officer had been “telling them (the volunteers) they were `stupid and simple’,” during last Wednesday’s intervention.
The action had been carried out by RSPCA officers and two wildlife experts.
Mr Coleman declined to comment on the specific allegation, saying all aspects of the intervention were now the subject of the animal welfare investigation which had been initiated in response to a complaint.
He said the RSPCA wanted to ensure Mrs Small and the animals were treated fairly in the inquiry.
“This week’s challenge for us is to get to the bottom of this,” Mr Coleman said.
“The two parts that we’re trying to focus on is, number one, the attention the animals require and that Nancy and (her husband and park co-owner) Colin’s rights are preserved,” he said.
“The RSPCA has not
questioned or challenged Nancy and Colin’s previous experience.”
An RSPCA report currently being prepared could take up to a month to finish.
It will involve written input from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and from the Department of Industry and Investment (formerly the Department of Primary Industries – DPI).
“The DPI and NPWS will be on site at some point this week,” Mr Coleman said.
“There are certainly concerns about some of the animals left on site.”
The RSPCA acted under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, with the other two organisations responsible under Acts concerning rehabilitation (NPWS) and animals on display.
Mrs Small said that she’d been told by the RSPCA that the koalas would be taken to a local veterinarian – but they weren’t.
Mr Coleman would not say where the koalas had been taken.
Mrs Small also said she had no idea that a film crew (from Channel 7’s Animal Rescue) would be present – but Mr Coleman denied this.
“Consent was given by Nancy – she signed a consent form,” he said.
Mr Coleman said the NSW operations manager, Matt French, had overseen the operation.
He said Mr French had told Mrs Small that at any time if she wanted to have the TV crew removed, the RSPCA would do it.
Mrs Small told The Leader there had been no previous inspection of the park.
Mr Coleman denied this, saying the first inspection had been carried out “some days before”.
“As far as we’re concerned, there’s one complaint, two inspections and a number of animals that were very sick,” he said.
Mr Coleman said that
the koalas had been suffering “dehydration” and
“malnutrition”.
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