Officers from Manning/Great Lakes Police District have been investigating the alleged acts of cruelty since last year.

On Saturday April 27, a woman was observed by members of the public feeding fish to a pelican at a boat ramp on Point Road at Tuncurry.

They claim the woman then grabbed the pelican and put it in the boot of her car, with the wing protruding from the closed boot.

Police attended and stopped the vehicle nearby. The woman released the injured pelican as police approached.

Officers spoke to the woman before conducting further inquiries.

Following further inquiries, a search warrant was executed and numerous items relating to the alleged cruelty of animals were seized from a home. Police also located a caged magpie with its beak removed. The bird was taken to a vet where it was euthanised due to the injuries.

Mobile phones seized from the house depicted images and videos of animals, including a dog and rabbit, that had allegedly been mutilated in a public location.

Police will allege in court that the woman attends public places in both Forster and Tuncurry and gains the trust of animals by feeding them, before taking them home and torturing them over an extended period of time.

She then attends a veterinary clinic, claiming to have found the injured animals and needing them to be euthanised.

On Saturday May 4 the woman was arrested and taken to Forster Police Station.

The 73-year-old was charged with the following offences:

- Commit an act of aggravated cruelty on an animal;

- Authorise carriage etc of animal which unjustifiably inflicts pain;

- Being in charge of an animal and fail to provide vet treatment (x3);

- Commit an act of cruelty on an animal (x2);

- Deal in animals (Biodiversity Conservation Act); and

- Contravene licence (Biodiversity Conservation Act).

She was given strict conditional bail to appear at Forster Local Court on Wednesday May 22.

Investigations into the alleged cruelty are continuing. Anyone with information is urged to contact police.

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