Please note: The photo on our update was the pole catcher that was used to restrain animals at Wagga Pound. It was in the cattery the day we found “The Frozen Cat”. The noose on the catcher had some blood and fur on it.
For more information regarding the Frozen Cat incident please see the following link:
During our correspondence with Wagga Council and Councillors in 2015 we emailed photos of the Frozen Cat and Myriam's diary notes. In this email we wrote that although 3 cats had been brought to Wagga Pound only 1 cat was entered on the Impound Register. The other 2 cats that had been brought in were not entered on the Impound Register. They also disappeared overnight and to this day remain unaccounted for. No explanation has ever been given.
The photos of the Frozen Cat were leaked to The Daily Advertiser by someone from Council or a Councillor. We were very surprised to be contacted by The Daily Advertiser in regards to these photos and the email Myriam had sent only to Council/Councillors. The Daily Advertiser also contacted Wagga Council.
When we applied under GIPA for all correspondence concerning Wagga Pound we came across this email sent by Wagga Council to Councillors in 2015:
“Hello Councillors, Further to my email to Ms Hribar and yourselves yesterday, I can advise that Ms Hribar has approached the Daily Advertiser (DA) with her concerns and provided them with some (or all) of the images that she took in 2014 and which were part of her email to yourselves and myself on Sunday night (see below). [This is totally inaccurate information given to Councillors by Wagga Council, as the photos/email were sent to The Daily Advertiser by either Council or Councillors.] The DA subsequently contacted Council’s media unit seeking responses to questions based largely around the content of Ms Hribar’s email below. On the advice of Council’s media staff I contacted [identity removed] who has agreed to postpone the story at this stage. I am appreciative of this approach by [identity removed] as I have indicated in the past that that[sic] where “Council can be fairly criticised then so be it” and we move on. My primary concern was the potential industrial issues with the animal ranger team that would likely have arisen in the event that the article ran tomorrow. … Notwithstanding the above, I indicated that Council was prepared to respond to the questions below in the coming weeks and after Council has received the results of the recent independent investigation undertaken by the RSPCA. I invite any Councillor who wishes to discuss this further to contact me and again, I reassure Councillors that recent changes to the operation of the GRAS, including the revamped Volunteer Program have improved many process at GRAS …”
These are the questions in Myriam’s email that she sent with the photos of the Frozen Cat to Wagga Council/Councillors:
“Why is the cat not in a plastic bag as per normal?
Why is there so much blood on the walls of the freezer?
Why are there scratch/claw marks in the ice on the side of the freezer?
What has happened to this cat? I do not think this is how an animal should be in a freezer.
It reminds me of the black kitten that was hurriedly put in the freezer still alive.”
We asked the following questions in our recent update “The Frozen Cat Incident - Pound Reform Needed - Part 2":
“- Why was there an un-bagged cat in the freezer early Friday morning well before 10.30am?
- What is the explanation for the deep grooves/claw-like marks in the ice inside the freezer, the blood smears on the four walls of the freezer and the strange crouching position of the cat?
- Why have two cats disappeared overnight?
- What is the explanation for their disappearance and why were they given such a short length of time at GRAS? This does not follow legislation.
- What happened to these two cats?
- Why did these two cats appear not to have been given impound numbers? There should be a record of every animal that enters a pound. Otherwise, how are accurate statistics sent to the Office of Local Government for their Pound Data Report?
- Was one of these cats that disappeared overnight, the frozen cat in the freezer?
- What happened to the other cat brought in by the lady?
- The Ranger’s Diary states that the dead cat was placed in a "grey shopping bag in freezer". Where was this cat?
- If we were to believe Council’s explanation that the frozen cat was the same cat as referenced in the Ranger’s Diary “Pick up Dead cat…10.30 am…grey shopping bag in freezer”, does that mean that the dead cat was taken out of the grey shopping bag, placed in the freezer un-bagged and blood was smeared on the four walls of the freezer?”
Our questions remain unanswered even though Council stated in its email, “… Council was prepared to respond to the questions below in the coming weeks and after Council has received the results of the recent independent investigation undertaken by the RSPCA.” It would be interesting to know whether Wagga Councillors followed up on these questions and received answers. We certainly have not received answers. Is this because if the Frozen Cat was properly investigated Council’s explanation that it was “road kill” would not stand? According to the Ranger’s Diary notes, the Council ranger picked up the “road kill” cat at 10:30am on Friday. We know the Frozen Cat was already in the freezer well before 10:30am, as Myriam was contacted early on Friday morning regarding the frozen cat. Unless Wagga Council can offer another explanation, we think the Frozen Cat is one of the two cats that disappeared overnight from Wagga Pound.
If Council considered the Frozen Cat to be “road kill” (as per Council’s Open Letter) why wasn’t this explanation immediately offered? Council’s response to us was “… that the issues you have raised in relation to the photos are historic in nature and I am unable to provide you with any context or reasonable answer to those matters.” We find this answer unacceptable. Wagga Pound did not have a large number of staff who worked at the facility. We think this incident has never been properly investigated.
There has never been a written report from the RSPCA on their investigations, findings and recommendations at Wagga Pound, despite numerous requests by Wagga Council. At a meeting with Wagga Council we were informed that they did not have a written report from the RSPCA. We were told that if we wanted a written report from the RSPCA it was up to us to contact the RSPCA. Our correspondence to the RSPCA remains unanswered.
Unless there is a written report by the RSPCA how do we know a thorough investigation has been carried out and what issues have been investigated? We do not know whether the Frozen Cat incident was even investigated by the RSPCA as there is no written report.
We question the thoroughness of the RSPCA’s investigations. Otherwise why did the RSPCA give the DPI the information that a volunteer had placed Saviour alive in the freezer, that the kitten was unconscious due to a fall and that the volunteer was distraught at their mistake? Where did all this incorrect information come from? Are we to believe that the RSPCA fabricated these statements or was this information given to the RSPCA (an investigative body) by Council? In their investigation what conclusions did the RSPCA reach regarding all the animals that were left to die at Wagga Pound? Did the RSPCA ask to see the procedures that Wagga Pound operated under? What answer did Wagga Council give the RSPCA in regards to the feral cat left in the crush cage without food or water? When Myriam questioned Council’s statement that animals at Wagga Pound are fed and watered on a daily basis and asked which ranger had given the cat food and water, Council’s response was “I am unable to provide any further comment in relation to this matter…”.
There has been no justice for the Frozen Cat and some of the other animals at Wagga Pound, whose basic needs weren’t met and were treated inappropriately. Even after going to national media there were few staff changes at Wagga Pound. It was only after the Christmas holiday period of 2016/17 that there were further staff changes. We have serious concerns about what occurred during this holiday period.
We went to national media because even though we had been reassured by Wagga Council that things had improved at Wagga Pound, we saw very few changes had been made - Wagga Pound continued to operate without proper procedures and the same issues of animal neglect continued to occur. Before going to national media we approached The Daily Advertiser in March 2016 in regards to our concerns. They chose not to print our story.
We thank everyone who supports us and advocates the need for pound reform and for an independent government body to monitor/investigate animal welfare issues.