
WTF?

? AARRRGGGghhhhhh...
4 teens, kids, plead "NOT GUILTY" for microwaving cat! By NICKI THOMAS, SUN MEDIA
All four teenage boys accused of microwaving a cat to death in a horrific act of animal cruelty have pleaded not guilty.
It's alleged that the youths - three aged 15 and one aged 13 - broke into a Camrose home while the owners were away in late December and killed the cat, named Princess, by placing her in a microwave and turning it on.
They have been charged with break, enter and theft under $5,000, mischief under $5,000, possession of stolen property, unlawfully killing an animal and causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal.
A lawyer for two of the teens entered not guilty pleas on their behalf in a Camrose courtroom yesterday morning. Their trial has been set for Nov. 17.
The other two teens pleaded not guilty last month and will go to trial in June.
BACKLASH FIERCE
Backlash against the teens has been fierce since news of the grisly killing broke in early January.
Hate groups directed at the teens popped up on Facebook and were joined by thousands of people.
Some members made threats against the teens while others illegally published their identities, which are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
While fury from the online community has since subsided, the Edmonton-based animal rights group Voice for Animals has steadily followed the case, travelling to Camrose for every court proceeding.
Their courthouse protest yesterday came one day before the controversial federal crime Bill S-203 heads into its final reading in the House of Commons.
Voice for Animals director Tove Reece said the bill is just a rewrite of the current legislation, under which it's difficult to prosecute cruelty crimes.
According to the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, less than 1% of animal abuse investigations lead to a conviction under the Criminal Code.
"There's essentially no changes from the bill that's already there, which is over 100 years old," she said.
"The only changes are the penalties.
"But when you can't charge or prosecute someone under the law, then what's the point of having higher penalties?" she said.
The Camrose incident is just one of a string of animal cruelty cases in Alberta in recent years.
CAT FOUND HANGED
Last weekend, a cat was found bound in wire and hanged by its neck from a lamppost outside a grocery store in Ponoka, about 100 km south of Edmonton.
RCMP have received a number of tips but have no suspects, Sgt. Glen Demere said yesterday, adding that no one has come forward to claim the cat.
"It's hard to say why there's been such a cluster of animal cruelty cases," said Reece.
"I have to think that to a certain extent it goes back to the fact that cruelty to animals is not viewed as being very serious in Canada.
"There's no repercussions for doing it and I think that plays a large part."