Authorities are investigating footage that appears to show two people chasing down and running over a live cow with quad bikes on the Chatham Islands, saying the behaviour falls well short of acceptable animal welfare standards.
The video, shared on social media and later deleted this week, appears to show one quad bike striking the cow before a second rider drives over it.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said it was looking into the incident.
MPI manager of animal welfare and NAIT compliance Joanna Tuckwell said the footage was unacceptable.
"The behaviour in the video falls well short of acceptable animal welfare standards. Just like any other animal, feral cattle should be treated humanely," she said.
Tuckwell said that under the Animal Welfare Act, it was an offence to wilfully or recklessly ill-treat animals, including those in the wild.
The person who posted the video said the cattle were wild and had become a pest, causing damage to land and contributing to road crashes.
They said locals used the meat to feed working dogs because of the difficulty and cost of getting dog food and other supplies to the remote islands, which lie about 800km east of the South Island.
"One animal like this can keep our pack fed for roughly a month," the poster said.
SHARE ME