A stowaway cat rescued from the waters and named as their mascot has been killed due to biosecurity hazard.
What happened?
The crew members onboard a vessel ‘Fairway’ discovered the cat last week when the vessel was enroute from Singapore to Lyttelton.
The stowaway black cat was adopted by the crew members who named it as their lucky mascot.
Cat euthanized
However, their joy was short lived after the innocent cat was euthanized due to biosecurity hazard.
An SPCA spokesperson said, “Inspectors were investigating after receiving a complaint about the incident, which happened in international waters”.
Crew members
The crew members of the dredger are apparently distressed about the euthanization of their lucky mascot. The wife of a crew member claimed that the crew had fed the cat, named it Lucky, and built a cage to hold it. The crew, a mixture of New Zealanders and internationals, had excitedly shared news and photos of Lucky with their families.
Some crew members had initially been told to throw the cat overboard but refused, which is why they believed that was its eventual fate.
She said, “They [the crew] were loving having the cat, and they were all excited about it. When they learned what had happened, they were very upset and unsettled. When they arrived in port it could have had a vet check and been rehomed, or at least destroyed humanely if need be”.
Blame game starts
The Representatives of Fairway’s owners said they were unable to comment, referring Stuff to the Ministry for Primary Industries.
A spokesman for Biosecurity New Zealand, which is part of the ministry, said they were notified last week there was a cat aboard the dredge.
The spokesperson said, “For biosecurity reasons, we advised the captain of the vessel would not be permitted to land in Lyttelton unless the cat was captured and contained. We were later informed the cat had been euthanized by the crew before the vessel entered New Zealand waters”.
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Source: Stuff
