Woman 'disgusted' by cruel act on Aussie property: 'Please stop doing this'

An animal rescuer has again aired her frustration after a person "dumped" a live rooster in a closed bag on her doorstep, in yet another example of a "disgusting" trend she says is happening repeatedly at her home.

Lorene Cross, the founder of Smart Animal Sanctuary at Batlow in NSW, found another live rooster placed in a bag at her home yesterday, merely months after a similar incident in 2023. Cross, who already cares for "so many animals", slammed the shocking act of cruelty and said had she not personally found the bird, it would've been eaten by her dogs.

Animal carer slams 'disgusting' act

"Tying a live animal inside a bag and dumping it is disgusting!" she wrote on social media. "This is far from the first lot we have had dumped on our property. Enough is enough!"

In disturbing footage, Cross is seen discovering the yellow bag — "that is moving" — left on a patch of grass at her residence while her dog, a St Bernard, wanders around the area. Cross moves closer to the bag with a companion and cuts it open to discover the live rooster crammed inside.

• Cruel find in bags dumped on side of Aussie road: 'They're alive'

• Aussie pet owner's desperate act amid cost of living crisis: 'I'm so sorry'

• 'Treated like garbage': Authorities shocked by 'appalling' summer trend

"So we're just about to go out for breakfast this morning and this bag has been dumped at my doorstep again and it's moving," she said. "Please stop dumping roosters in my driveway, my dogs... love to eat chicken... honestly people, if you can't look after them don't have them."

Multiple similar incidences occur at NSW woman's home

When a similar incident occurred last year, Cross spoke to Yahoo, imploring pet owners to do better. "I think it's disgusting and disgraceful," the Snowy Mountains local told Yahoo News Australia.

"To put them in a bag and just dump them in the driveway with no food... I've got four of my own dogs freely roaming around here and I know two of them would have loved a bit of KFC on the run basically. That's just cruelty."

Cross said roosters have previously been abandoned at the sanctuary — recently the body of one was found in a bush that wasn't so lucky — calling it "a major problem".

"People don't seem to know what to do with roosters," she explained. "They like to keep the girls [hens] happy and then they breed, and they've got 10 roosters suddenly.

"More generally she said that dumping of all animals "happens a lot" and is a huge issue. "Six puppies were dumped in the bush a few weeks ago," she said. "And nine kittens came in with their collars stuck into their necks that had to be surgically removed."

The rooster in question found this week is being cared for at the sanctuary, "while we try to find him a loving home".

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.