Melbourne: A man in New Zealand has been jailed for four months for starving his dog so badly that it was reduced to "a skeleton covered with fur", media reports said today.
Terepai Noel Teremoana of Auckland was sentenced at the Manukau District Court after he was found guilty of reckless ill-treatment of the animal.
The dog, named Ben, was discovered with open, infected wounds, and a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) inspector who found him said he looked like "a skeleton covered with fur", with bones clearly seen through his skin.
He also suffered from infected sores, an inch-long tail wound and an infestation of fleas and worms. He was so weak from malnutrition that he was unable to stand on his own, nzherald reported.
The vet who treated the dog said that in her 24 years in the job, Ben was the most emaciated dog she had ever seen.
Due to behavioural issues as a result of his abuse, Ben was later euthanised. SPCA chief executive Andrea Midgen said she hopes the sentencing sets a precedent for future animal abuse cases in New Zealand.
Teremoana was also disqualified from owning a dog for five years and was ordered to pay reparations to the SPCA Auckland.
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