New South Wales Consolidated Acts

PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS ACT 1979 - SECT 21

21 Coursing and other similar activities prohibited

(1) A person who:

(a) causes, procures, permits or encourages an activity in which an animal is released from confinement for the purpose of its being chased, caught or confined by a dog, or

(b) advertises the intention to conduct such an activity, or

(c) promotes, organises or attends such an activity, or

(d) uses an animal as a lure or kill for the purpose of blooding greyhounds or in connection with the trialing, training or racing of any coursing dog, or

(e) keeps or is in charge of an animal for use as a lure or kill for the purpose of blooding greyhounds or in connection with the trialing, training or racing of any coursing dog,

is guilty of an offence.

Maximum penalty: 1,000 penalty units in the case of a corporation or 200 penalty units or imprisonment for 2 years, or both, in the case of an individual.

(2) In any proceedings under subsection (1), evidence in writing by a veterinary practitioner that an animal was alive at the time of its attack by a dog is prima facie evidence that the animal was alive at the time of that attack.

(2A) In any proceedings under subsection (1) (c), evidence that the defendant was present at a place at which an activity of the kind referred to in that subsection was being conducted is prima facie evidence that the defendant attended the activity.

(2B) In any proceedings under subsection (1) (d), evidence that the defendant was in charge of an animal that appeared to have been used as a lure or kill in the manner referred to in that subsection is prima facie evidence that the defendant used the animal as a lure or kill in that manner.

(2C) In any proceedings under subsection (1) (e), evidence that the defendant was in charge of an animal of a species prescribed by the regulations at a place used for the trialing, training or racing of any coursing dog is prima facie evidence that the defendant kept or was in charge of an animal for use as a lure or kill for the purpose referred to in that subsection.

(3) It is a defence to any proceedings for an offence against subsection (1) if the defendant shows that the act constituting the alleged offence was done by the defendant in the course of, and for the purpose of:

(a) mustering stock, the working of stock in yards or any other animal husbandry activity, or

(b) sheep dog trials.

(4) For the removal of doubt, section 24 (1) (b) (i), in its application to this section, includes hunting, shooting, snaring, trapping, catching or capturing an animal by using a dog, but only in a manner that inflicted no unnecessary pain on the animal.