WARNING: Graphic content

Police believe a woman has been luring animals into her care before then torturing them in her home over an extended period of time.

Last month, members of the public witnessed a 73-year-old woman feeding fish to a pelican at a boat ramp on Point Road at Tuncurry.

It’s alleged the woman then grabbed the pelican and put it in her car boot, with the bird’s wing becoming stuck and hanging out from the closed boot.

Police soon stopped the vehicle and the woman released the injured pelican as officers approached.

A search warrant was executed at her home, with police seizing numerous items relating to the alleged cruelty of animals, including a caged magpie with its beak removed. The bird was taken to a vet where it had to be euthanised due to the seriousness of its injuries.

Mobile phones seized from the house depicted images and videos of animals, including a dog and rabbit, that had allegedly been mutilated in a public location.

It’s alleged the woman gains the trust of animals by feeding them, before taking them home and torturing them over an extended period of time. She then attends a veterinary clinic, claiming to have found the injured animals and needing them to be euthanised.

The woman has been charged with multiple offences and been granted strict conditional bail to appear in court later this month.

Police have been investigating the alleged acts of cruelty since 2018.