Overview

• Three men pleaded guilty on June 24 at Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court to animal cruelty for striking a pigeon with a golf club at the Norseman Gold Project in June 2023.
• A Snapchat video showed the 24-year-old attacker hit the bird five times, launch it more than a metre through the air and then toss it into a skip bin while captioning the clip “May his soul rest in peace” with a laughing emoji.
• Magistrate William Yoo described the act as “absolutely disgusting, vile and reprehensible” and said the trio had egged each other on in a deliberate display of cruelty.
• The 24-year-old primary offender was fined $48,000 and each of the two 30-year-olds received $39,000, bringing the total penalties to $126,000.
• Pantoro Gold terminated all three employees immediately after the footage emerged and fully cooperated with WA Police and RSPCA WA, whose inspector manager Kylie Green said the penalties send a clear message that there is never an excuse to abuse an animal.