On Thursday, December 1, a goat was put down after it was cornered in a garage and tasered by a policeman.
The goat had led police and animal control officers on a chase through downtown Oamaru, near the intersections of Nen and Exe Sts and SH1. For a while, the goat evaded capture by running through nearby properties but it was eventually bailed up in a garage by a dog, whose owner rang the police.
When it charged a police officer, he tasered the animal and a decision was made by animal control to put it down from a "public safety perspective".
Council communication manager Mike Roesler said staff had removed a risk to the public.
"In hindsight, those on the scene took the correct action and practicable option. As stated last week, agitated larger rural stock are very difficult to handle and pose risk even in a rural setting.
"This risk is exponentially larger in an urban setting."
He would not say what injuries the goat had sustained, only that it was not suffering life-threatening injuries when it was put down.
SPCA Otago director of animal welfare Dr Helen Beattie said there was no rule against euthanasia but animals were protected under the Animal Welfare Act, which included protections against rough handling.
"It’s not illegal to euthanise animals as long as it was done humanely."
She said she was not familiar with the circumstances.
"I’ve not heard before of this [tasering] happening as a method of restraint. I don’t know if studies have been done on how Tasers affect goats."
She said the SPCA had received no complaints about the incident.
Mr Roesler said no-one had claimed the goat.
