Northern Territory Consolidated Acts Northern Territory Consolidated Acts22. Power to alleviate suffering
(1) If a veterinarian is of the opinion that -
(a) an animal is so severely injured, diseased or in such a poor physical condition that it is cruel to keep it alive; and
(b) the animal -
(i) is not about to be destroyed; or
(ii) is about to be destroyed in a manner that will inflict unnecessary suffering on it,
the veterinarian may destroy the animal, or cause it to be destroyed, in a manner that causes it to die quickly and without unnecessary suffering.
(2) In exercising a power under subsection (1), a veterinarian may first remove the animal to a place he or she considers appropriate for the purpose.
(3) A veterinarian who exercises a power under this section is entitled to receive from a person in charge of the animal the reasonable costs incurred in exercising the power and may recover those costs in a court of competent jurisdiction as a debt owed to the veterinarian.