South West duo fined more than $50,000 for orchestrated animal cruelty and uploading footage to social media

Two South West residents have been collectively fined more than $50,000 after they were found guilty at trial of releasing dogs to hunt captured feral pigs and uploading the shocking filmed footage online. Marie Ann Parker, 22, and Riley Thomas Lang, 25, were sentenced in Bunbury Magistrates Court on Tuesday for a combined total of 17 convictions. Parker was fined $19,000 while Lang was fined $33,300. For both, $10,000 of those fines were suspended for six months. Parker and Lang captured feral pigs before releasing them to be hunted by their dogs, filming the hunt and uploading the footage to their social media accounts. The dogs were used to torment, attack, abuse, and bring down the feral pigs. Six videos were uploaded to Instagram and Youtube between May 26 and December 26, 2022. In some videos the pair released the pigs to be re-caught. The pair were found guilty of four counts of promoting a prohibited activity following a trial in Bunbury Magistrates Court on July 15. Magistrate Joanne Andretich said there was a distinction between lawful pig hunting and pig hunting not conducted in a humane fashion. “The eradication of the pig was delayed for (the) gratification of its captors . . . it was deliberate, intentional and planned to ensure maximum impact for their audience,” she said. RSPCA WA team leader inspector Gemma Haines slammed the treatment of the pigs in the video as “orchestrated animal cruelty for the purposes of social media”. “This was not a case against people legally hunting pigs as a form of pest control,” she said. “This was about the illegal way the so-called hunting took place, where already trapped, injured and terrified pigs were held down. “The pigs suffered prolonged distress while the offenders filmed content for social media, and in many instances the offenders can be heard laughing on the videos.” RSPCA WA argued despite pig hunting being legal in WA, it was the way in which the pair engaged in the hunting practice that constituted animal cruelty and was in breach of the Animal Welfare Act 2002. “None of these actions constitute responsible hunting for pest control and frankly, how anyone can watch and listen to an animal suffering the way the pigs were in the video is beyond me,” Ms Haines said. “Any animal can experience pain, distress and harm and it is never ok to be cruel to an animal of any species.” The RSPCA launched an investigation into the pair after the videos were reported in August 2022. The charity believes it was the first time it had successfully prosecuted pig hunters in WA of promoting a prohibited activity. Parker and Lang both received spent convictions. The RSPCA relies on the community to report incidents of suspected cruelty and neglect. Report cruelty 24/7 on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or at rspcawa.org.au