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Inspectorate
The Inspectorate currently employs 19 inspectors two of which are Senior Inspectors, eight located in Melbourne and six in regional Victoria. RSPCA Inspectors in Victoria are based in Geelong, Melton, Ballarat, Bendigo, Wangaratta, Sale, Bairnsdale, Pearcedale, Pakenham and Melbourne. The Inspectorate team also employs a customer service team to manage complaints. The RSPCA Victoria inspectorate costs approximately $3 million each year to operate including legal costs and the costs of caring for seized animals. Victorian State Government funding for the Inspectorate is only $1 million each year with the remainder supported with donations and bequests by the community. Prosecutions RSPCA Inspectors also spend a lot of their time preparing animal cruelty cases and attending court. In the 2008 - 2009 financial year, a total of 49 defendants were taken to court by RSPCA Inspectors under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to answer charges relating to cases of cruelty. A total of 9 appeals against sentence or conviction were lodged, with five resolved in the RSPCA's favour and four outstanding at July 2009. A total of 743 charges of cruelty were laid in this period. Whilst the RSPCA's record in prosecution is good, the financial penalty of losing a case can be extremely high. Court cases and potential appeals can be extremely costly and difficult to plan for. Fines imposed by the court, go to the State government and whilst costs can be awarded to the RSPCA, these are often difficult to recover. Last year, RSPCA Victoria investigated 14,455 reported complaints of animal cruelty. The following examples will help you understand the extent and level of cruelty that currently exists in Victoria. These not only illustrate the variety of animals that our Inspectors must protect but also the large differences in penalties deemed appropriate by the Magistrate's Court. The maximum penalty for any charge under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act is a $24,000 fine and/or 24 months imprisonment term. WARNING: Please be advised that some of the following cases show graphic editorial and pictorial evidence of animal cruelty. Animal Rescues Inspectors deal daily with unusual accident reports from animal owners and caring passers by. Sometimes Inspectors spend hours, even days coordinating a rescue. RSPCA Inspectors performed 617 animal rescues in the past year. The nature and type of the rescues vary greatly and the very nature of the animals involved can complicate the rescue process. View table of animals rescued from dangerous situations or the rescue cases below.
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The
primary objective of the RSPCA is to protect animals from cruelty and
neglect by enforcing existing law. RSPCA Inspectors are warranted to enforce
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (POCTAA) in Victoria. In so doing
they are the only non-government officers with the power to lay charges under this act.