Report animal cruelty

When should I make a complaint?

The majority of people who own or interact with animals treat them humanely and comply with agreed animal welfare standards. There are instances where this is not the case and an investigation is needed to identify whether a breach of legislation has occurred.

The following list of examples could be the subject of a cruelty complaint:

• Animals in immediate danger of death or harm (such as a dog locked in a car on a warm day or an animal that cannot get up and is distressed)
• Animals that are hurt or abused
• Neglected or abandoned animals
• Animals suffering from untreated injury or disease
• Animals that are not receiving adequate food, water and/or shelter
• Animals that are being used in illegal activity (such as dog fighting or cock fighting)
• Animals that have been deliberately poisoned (other than for the control of declared pests)

Who to report a complaint about animal cruelty to

Animal cruelty can be investigated by Inspectors authorised under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 from the following organisations:

• Agriculture Victoria
• RSPCA Victoria
• Local Government
• Victoria Police
• Game Management Authority (game hunting)
• Conservation Regulator (wildlife cruelty)
• Greyhound Racing Victoria (racing greyhounds)

If you witness cruelty or suspect that cruelty is occurring you should contact the relevant enforcement agency.

If you find an animal left in a hot car, please contact Victoria Police immediately on 000. Victoria Police will be able to dispatch officers quickly, which is critical in these situations.

Agriculture Victoria

Our inspectors primarily investigate matters concerning primary production animals or livestock in regional Victoria or outside the Melbourne metropolitan area.

Complaints should be directed to the animal health officer at your local Agriculture Victoria office. Call our customer service centre on 136 186 or email aw.complaint@agriculture.vic.gov.au

If you find a sick or injured native animal, you should report it immediately to the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) customer service centre on 136 186, which will give you details of a staff member or local wildlife shelter that can provide advice or help.

For wildlife cruelty complaints contact us (DEECA) or RSPCA Victoria, where you will be directed to the appropriate officer.

Concerns about the welfare of animals being used in scientific procedures should be referred to sp.licensing@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Memorandum of understanding between Agriculture Victoria and RSPCA Victoria

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) sets out RSPCA Victoria’s and Agriculture Victoria’s agreement on a range of matters, including the type of animal welfare cases that RSPCA Victoria is responsible for investigating. The current MoU came into effect on 1 September 2025.

The MoU is available for download:

• MoU between RSPCA Victoria and Agriculture Victoria [PDF File - 705.2 KB]
• MoU between RSPCA Victoria and Agriculture Victoria [MS Word Document - 61.2 KB]

RSPCA Victoria

RSPCA Victoria primarily investigates complaints about companion animals, horses and recreational animals.

RSPCA Victoria also investigates complaints about livestock species where there are fewer than 10 livestock animals or fewer than 50 poultry, in the following metropolitan Melbourne municipalities:

A report can be made to the RSPCA either online or by phoning 03 9224 2222.

Local government

Local government officers, if specifically authorised under the Act, can investigate cruelty complaints in the municipality in which they are authorised.

If you have concerns about the operation of a domestic animal business such as a dog or cat breeder or pet shop you can report them to the local council in which the business operates or to the RSPCA.

Victoria Police

If there has been a road transport accident involving animals (for example a truck rollover) always call the police. Police can also investigate complaints of cruelty.

Information required for making a complaint

In order to investigate an animal cruelty report, Inspectors require as much information as possible so it is essential that you provide as many details as you can when making a complaint.

Information required when making a complaint:

• Your details – your name, address and phone number. These may be required during the course of an investigation (for example to clarify information or obtain further information on the location of animals). Your details will be kept confidential by the inspector.
• A description of the alleged cruelty – in as much detail as possible, a description of the animal(s) involved such as species, breed, colour, total number of animals and condition of the animals.
• The location of the animals – an address point or GPS coordinates of the property the animals are located at.
• Contact details for the people involved in the alleged offence – the name, address and phone number if known. If unknown a description of the person or people involved should be provided.
• Any other information that may be of assistance to the inspector such as a vehicle registration number, photographic or video evidence. If you know that the people involved may be affected by drugs or alcohol or are likely to become violent you should inform the Inspector.

After a complaint is made

When a complaint is made, an inspector will examine the available evidence and determine whether an offence under animal welfare legislation is likely to have occurred or not.

Only officers authorised as inspectors under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 are legally able to investigate cruelty to animals. Inspectors (except police officers) must on demand produce an identification certificate. It is an offence to impersonate an inspector.

Following a complaint an inspector has the power to undertake any of the following actions depending on the outcome of their investigation:

• Take no further action, if there was no offending occurring under animal welfare legislation.
• Provide education and advice.
• Issue a formal notice to comply.
• Collect evidence including requiring information from relevant persons.
• Seize the animals.
• Begin a prosecution.

During an investigation a person must comply with the requirements to give information to inspectors as detailed in the Act. It is an offence to give false or misleading information. It is also an offence to assault, hinder or threaten an inspector.

In some instances, animal cruelty investigations result in prosecution. View the department's record of prosecutions.