An illegal trap has left an Auckland cat with serious injuries, and the SPCA is hunting for the person responsible.
A member of the public found the ginger moggy in an illegally set gin trap in a backyard on Knights Rd, Rothesay Bay, on Sunday.
Three of the cats toes had to be amputated due to the damage they suffered in the trap, which is also known as a leg-hold trap.
"It's just a very vicious trap," says SPCA Auckland's CEO Andrea Midgen.
Gin traps are banned in areas where a pet could be caught in them and Ms Midgen says the person responsible for this one needs to be held to account.
"The fear is that there are other traps out there, or someone is thinking that this is an okay thing to do."
And it's not just animals at risk -- young children could get caught in the traps too.
SPCA Auckland asks anyone with any information about the trap, or anyone who recognises the cat, to contact them.
"We also want to hear from anyone who recognises this cat or can help reunite him with his owner," Ms Midgen says.
"It's obvious that he has been a member of a family and we are sure there will be someone missing him terribly."
Newshub.
