REWARD: Help Catch Melbourne’s Kangaroo Killer
A dead kangaroo has been found tied to a chair in Melbourne’s north-east. The kangaroo had been shot at least three times before being arranged in the chair with a shawl around his shoulders and a bottle of spirits in his hands.
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and Crime Stoppers are investigating the case and is seeking information from the public.
Because animals cannot report abuse and can do little to fight back, they’re often used as “practice” victims by those who tend towards violence.
Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals often go on to commit violent acts against their fellow humans. As long as the perpetrator of this crime is at large, other animals – including humans – might also be in danger.
Only 1 per cent of cruelty-to-animals offenders have no other convictions at all.
The world’s most notorious serial killers – including Jeffrey Dahmer, Dennis Rader, and Albert DeSalvo, better known as the Boston Strangler – have long documented histories of harming animals. In Australia, murderers such as Paul Denyer, John Travers, and Ivan Milat tortured and killed animals before turning to human victims.