Report animal cruelty or neglect

A person in charge of an animal must look after its welfare and protect it from neglect and cruelty.

If you suspect or witness them not doing that, you should report it to the Animal Welfare Branch. If you're not sure, get their advice.

All contact is confidential, and you can stay anonymous. But they may need more information so it's best to provide your contact details.

If a matter results in a court case, your name may also be asked for by the court.

You can call 1300 720 386, email animalwelfare@nt.gov.au or submit a report online.

Report online

What you can report on

You can report on the following:

• exposure to extreme heat or cold such as leaving an animal in a car or without proper shelter
• suffering from hunger or thirst
• being hurt, beaten, kicked or abused
• an injury or illness not treated
• being abandoned
• unsuitable environment e.g. a space that is too small and does not have enough space to exercise
• at risk of death or injury
• deliberately baited or poisoned
• used to perform an illegal activity such as dogs or birds being encouraged to fight each other.

What Information you need

When you make a complaint, you must provide:

• incident details, including:
  • location - street address (if specific place) or description and registration number (if vehicle)
  • date and time
  • why you’re concerned
  • the animal's condition
• details of the people involved, including: 
  • physical description
  • name, address, phone number or if they're known to be abusive or violent (if you know them)
• the type and number of animals involved
• any other information that may help, like:
  • names and addresses of other witnesses
  • aggressive dogs at the address.

You must not give false or misleading information. If you do, you can be charged with an offence.

How a complaint is investigated

When you make a complaint, the Animal Welfare Branch will assess the immediate risk to the animal.

They will then provide this information to an authorised inspector or police officer to investigate.

Depending on the situation, they may:

• call you for more information
• take no further action
• educate the owner on how to properly care for the animal
• instruct the owner to address the welfare issues
• collect evidence to begin a prosecution
• take the animal away
• re-visit the property later to check their advice has been followed.

A veterinarian or animal specialist can also be called in for advice.

For privacy and legal reasons, you can't find out the exact outcome unless an offence was found.