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Louise Thomas
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An Australian park guest pled guilty to taking a chicken from its enclosure and tossing it to its death in an alligator-infested pond on January 2024 at the Oakvale Farm and Fauna World at Salt Ash in New South Wales.
According to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), the guest – Peter Smith – reached over a concrete rock wall within a sanctuary at the farm to snatch a white Chinese silkie bantam chicken named Betty White. He then hid the animal inside his shirt as he went over to the alligator enclosure before throwing the beloved chicken into a pond where the reptiles live.
Court documents stated that the moment Betty White hit the water, two alligators “immediately made their way towards the chook with one of them snapping the chook into its mouth, killing it immediately.”
The incident shocked guests, who promptly informed the staff of what had transpired. Park owner Leanne Sansom later found footage of Smith on security footage sending the chicken careening to her death and shared it with park employees to track him down.
However, days after the incident, Smith reportedly went to the Singleton Police Station to give a formal statement, claiming he had good intentions. He explained to the authorities that he threw Betty White “with the intention of feeding the alligator due [to] its living conditions.”
Smith’s defense lawyer, Bryan Wrench, claimed to the outlet that he “just wanted to feed an alligator” who was hungry, adding each year, approximately 750 million chickens are killed. Wrench’s comments downplaying his client’s actions did nothing to quell Magistrate Kiralee Perry’s concerns.
“These are serious allegations,” she told Wrench on Tuesday (24 September), underscoring the fact that Smith now potentially faces the maximum penalty for aggravated animal cruelty in New South Wales. If Smith is found guilty, he could spend up to two years in prison, with a fine of up to $24,084.
On 20 November, Smith will reportedly return to court to face trial.
“This is the first time in our 43 years that we have had a member of the public [allegedly] engage in such cruelty in what is an animal sanctuary,” Leanne’s husband and Oakvale Farm co-owner Kent Sansom said in a statement.
“Betty White was hand-raised at the park and had played a crucial role in our endangered species breeding programme for the bush stone curlew and other species by providing surrogacy to the chicks,” he continued.
“Her quiet nature means she would not hesitate to approach a customer for some animal pellets, making her an easy target for a ruthless perpetrator.”
The Oakvale Wildlife Park was established in November 1979 by Kent’s mother and father, Jeff and Elaine Sansom, who later passed it down to him in 1995. It has remained a family-owned and operated business in all of its 43 years, providing safe, educational, and fun experiences with nature for all ages.
Within its 25 acres, Oakvale Wildlife Park contains an endless menagerie of animals, from native to exotic creatures including koalas, kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, alligators, ostriches, and more.
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