A beloved chicken named Betty White is dead after being tossed into an alligator enclosure by an Australian park guest.
On Tuesday, Sept. 24, Peter Smith, who is in his late 50s, pleaded guilty in Raymond Terrace local court to one count of aggravated animal cruelty, the Australian Associated Press and Australia’s ABC News reported.
The incident happened in January 2024 at the Oakvale Farm and Fauna World at Salt Ash in New South Wales.
Citing court documents, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported that Smith reached over a concrete rock wall within a sanctuary at the farm to grab Betty White, a white Chinese silkie bantam chicken, and then hid the animal inside his shirt.
The outlet added that Smith then made his way to the alligator enclosure before tossing Betty White into a pond where the reptiles were held.
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Two of the alligators “immediately made their way towards the chook with one of them snapping the chook into its mouth, killing it immediately,» court documents state, per the AAP.
It was shocked guests who reportedly saw the incident and alerted staff members. After the park’s owner, Leanne Sansom, found Smith on security footage and shared it with park employees, they were able to track him down and get an apology, the outlet said.
Days after the incident, Smith went to the Singleton Police Station to give a formal statement. In it, he claimed he tossed Betty White “with the intention of feeding the alligator due [to] its living conditions,» the publication reported.
He said he was “really disappointed” in his behavior.
According to the AAP, Smith’s defense lawyer, Bryan Wrench, downplayed the severity of his client’s actions, claiming Smith “just wanted to feed an alligator” who was hungry. Wrench added that approximately 750 million chickens are killed each year.
However, on Tuesday, Magistrate Kirralee Perry told Wrench, “These are serious allegations.”
Smith faces a maximum penalty for aggravated animal cruelty in New South Wales, which is two years’ imprisonment and a fine of $24,084. He will return to court for sentencing on Nov. 20.
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“This is the first time in our 43 years that we have had a member of the public [allegedly] engage in such cruelty in what is an animal sanctuary,” Oakvale Farm owner Kent Sansom said in a statement, per the AAP.
“Betty White was hand-raised at the park and had played a crucial role in our endangered species breeding programme for the bush stone curlew and other species by providing surrogacy to the chicks,” he continued.
“Her quiet nature means she would not hesitate to approach a customer for some animal pellets, making her an easy target for [an alleged] ruthless perpetrator.”
