The Southland SPCA is appealing for information after a sickening rise in animal cruelty cases in the region.
On June 17, an elderly cat, named Thomas, returned to its Invercargill home with a severe limp.
A vet inspection showed he had been shot, shattering his leg bone and leaving him in excruciating pain - the injury so bad, the leg needed to be amputated.
Only days later, a member of the public made another grisly discovery.
They were walking their dogs when they sniffed out a five-week-old puppy covered in old bite wounds and suffering from an abscess. The poor pooch had been left abandoned under an Invercargill bridge.
Its injuries were too severe to survive and it needed to be put down.
And on Friday, Max - an 18-month-old labrador - was slaughtered on its owners' Invercargill property, left shot dead by an unknown attacker.
The SPCA says having so many cases of violence against animals at the same time is unusual, and is asking anyone with any knowledge about these horrendous acts to come forward.
It's not yet known if these cases are connected, but there are fears of more random attacks on the pets of Invercargill.
Newshub.
