Animals Slaughtered In Tas Zoo Break-in

[k9angel]

Dozens of animals remain on the loose after a break-in at a northern Tasmanian zoo.

Police believe several people broke into Tasmania Zoo in the Launceston suburb of Riverside late Thursday or early Friday morning and cut the locks on several bird, wallaby and monkey enclosures.

Zoo owner Dick Warren says he found nine birds brutally slaughtered.

"They've just caught them and banged their heads and pulled their heads off," he said.

"It's heartbreaking to see them. How could people do this sort of thing? It hits you so hard."

About 60 birds and animals are still missing, including two rare swift parrots, a yellow-tailed black cockatoo and five quolls.

Animal keeper Courtney McMahon said the break-in has had a devastating impact on the zoo's breeding program.

"We're trying to increase numbers of threatened species and we've lost a good part of that program," she said.

However, Ms McMahon said it was a huge relief the zoo's population of disease-free Tasmanian devils were not harmed.

"The way that the birds were released, if these devils were released like that it would be a death sentence to them," she said.

"There's a good chance that they would, in the wild, contract the facial tumour disease."

Two chainsaws were also stolen and police are appealing for witnesses.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/14458833/animals-slaughtered-during-zoo-break-in/

Poor birds and animals.

Hope they find the missing one's and hope they find the sicko's responsible.

[BC Crazy]

Omg. Poor birds & other innocent animals slaughtered. I am at a loss for words once again.

Hope these b@st#rds are caught before they reoffend & they will

Edited September 2, 2012 by BC Crazy

[cannibalgoldfish]

There was one small part of the whole thing I did find amusing. They have meercats and their doors were opened as well but all of them were still in their cage fast asleep the next morning.

[dogbesotted]

hopefully karma will descend upon their heads from a great height...

h