Fines for couple

Animal abusers: “I can’t watch animals suffer”

The couple had to answer to the Linz Regional Court(Bild: © Harald Dostal / 2024)

A couple from Steyregg had to answer to the Linz provincial court for animal cruelty in which two cats were killed. Because the feral cats were a nuisance in their neighborhood and had eaten their dwarf rabbits, they knew no other way out - they drowned them and filmed everything.

Curious defense on Friday at the Linz Provincial Court: Because feral cats had repeatedly eaten their son's dwarf rabbits, the accused couple (37, 41) had no choice but to catch two cats with live traps and then drown them in their home pool.

Acts filmed
Why drown them? "Because I can't see blood or suffering animals!" says the 41-year-old. "I can't see or hear them underwater." His partner had filmed the acts and shared them online. The couple appeared in court without a lawyer, both confessed fully and regretted their actions.

"Great stupidity"
"It was all very stupid. Now we know that there are other ways to get rid of cats, for example through specialists from animal welfare organizations," said the 37-year-old meekly.

Fines
He received a fine of 2400 euros, she has to pay 1800 euros. The two Austrians will receive half of the fine conditionally. The penalty for cruelty to animals is up to three years in prison. The court considered their comprehensive confession and their previous good conduct to be mitigating factors. His case was aggravated by the fact that he had killed two cats at the same time. The verdict is not yet final.