Report animal cruelty and neglect

How to report animal cruelty and neglect in WA

If you have reasonable grounds to suspect that someone is directly responsible for seriously harming, neglecting, or mistreating an animal, RSPCA WA will investigate and intervene accordingly.

There are two ways to report animal cruelty to RSPCA WA:

If a person or an animal’s life is in immediate danger, please call the WA Police on 131 444 or 000.

For non-cruelty-related local animal matters like strays and barking dogs, please contact your local council.

What happens when you report animal cruelty and neglect

RSPCA WA takes a lead role in enforcing animal welfare legislation in Western Australia, from receiving and investigating animal cruelty reports to prosecuting those responsible for their suffering, as well as rescuing and rehabilitating the animals who were mistreated.

We gather necessary information

To investigate a cruelty report, RSPCA WA requires reasonable grounds to suspect that an animal cruelty offence has been committed under the Animal Welfare Act 2002.

We collect your contact details when you submit a report, as we may need to contact you for more information from you before we can investigate further. Any personal details you provide to us will remain confidential.

We investigate the case

All valid reports are assigned to an inspector to investigate. This often involves a site visit and may also include assistance from the WA Police or local rangers.

Our small team inspectors investigate over 6,000 reports of cruelty across WA every year. Because of the huge volume of investigations we receive, we don’t have the resources to update you on the progress of your report.

Reports are investigated in order of priority, based on the category allocated to them:

1. Critical Cases – where the welfare of the animal is severely compromised and there is an URGENT need to alleviate pain and suffering. We try to respond to these as immediately as possible and these cases take priority over all other duties.
2. Major Cases – where the welfare of an animal has been or may be severely compromised and there is a need to take TIMELY ACTION to avoid pain and suffering. We respond to these cases as soon as practicable, usually within 72 hours.
3. Secondary Cases – where indications are that the welfare of the animal is only marginally compromised or where the incident is of a LESS SERIOUS NATURE. We respond as soon as practicable, usually within 7 working days.
4. Minor cases – where indications are that the welfare of the animal is not compromised and where the incident is of a LESSER NATURE. Action may involve a visit when in the area, telephone contact, or general education in areas where trends are detected.

We protect animals, in line with legislation

RSPCA WA Inspectors enforce Western Australian Government legislation – the Animal Welfare Act 2002 – which specifies legal definitions of suffering and ill treatment.

In some cases, these legal definitions can fall short of the standards we would like to set for animal welfare, but we have no legal power to enforce RSPCA WA policies or any other standards beyond the Act.

Our inspectors may take any of the following actions:

• Offer advice and assistance to the owner.
• Issue a warning letter and follow up with spot checks to ensure the advice and/or recommendations have been implemented.
• Issue the owner with a Direction Notice, which legally requires the owner to take action as instructed by the inspector.
• Continue to work with the owner for the best outcome for the animal.
• Seize the animal/s if the inspector believes that the animal is currently or in immediate danger of suffering harm and there are grounds under s42 (1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2002.
• Prosecute the owner for a breach of the Animal Welfare Act 2002.

If an animal is seized, they are brought to the RSPCA WA Care Centre to be rehabilitated and cared for.