A woman from Kentville has been sentenced to a 10 year prohibition of obtaining any new animals after she was charged with animal cruelty earlier this year.

In October 2017, SPCA officers attended a complaint from a community member that a rabbit was deceased in a backyard hutch. When SPCA officers attended it was determined that a deceased rabbit was in fact in the back yard belonging to Wright. Officers removed the body of the rabbit and a necropsy was performed at the Nova Scotia Dept of Agriculture pathology laboratory where it was determined that the rabbit suffered from severe emaciation due to malnourishment.

Amanda Wright was charged in February, 2018 and had pled guilty to animal cruelty charges under the Nova Scotia Animal Protection Act.

Wright was sentenced on March 13, 2018 in Kentville provincial court under section 21 (1) for causing distress to a rabbit and Section 22(a) for failing to ensure that the animal has adequate source of food and water.

The prohibition included that Wright was prohibited from having the custody, care or control of animals for a period of 10 years with the exception of 2 cats that are currently in her custody.

“This is a very sad case because and animal was literally starved to death. Allowing any animals to stay in the custody of anyone convicted of animal abuse is certainly not something that the NS SPCA condones, however we will continue to monitor Wright to ensure the animals in her care are healthy and no other animals enter the household” said Jo-Anne Landsburg, Chief Inspector for the NS SPCA.

 The NS SPCA operates on a policy of zero tolerance for animal cruelty and sets the standard of animal care for the province of Nova Scotia. The NS SPCA urges you to report acts of animal cruelty by contacting our confidential toll free hotline at: 1-888-703-7722

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Source: Media Release