Australian woman charged with torturing animals after pelican kidnap Sydney

An elderly Australian woman has been charged with torturing animals after she allegedly abducted a pelican from a river, police said Monday.
 The 73-year-old was seen feeding fish to a pelican in Tuncurry, about 300 kilometres north of Sydney, last month.
 "The woman then grabbed the pelican and put it in her car boot, with the wing observed to be protruding from the closed boot," police said in a statement. Police stopped her car and made her release the injured bird.
 Further investigation led officers on Friday to search her home, where they allegedly seized "items relating to the cruelty of animals." "Police also located a caged magpie with its beak removed. The bird was taken to a vet where it was euthanized due to the injuries," police said. "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." The woman will appear in court on May 22 where police will allege she goes to public places and gains the trust of animals by feeding them, before taking them home and torturing them over an extended period of time. Police allege she then takes them to a veterinarian, claiming they were found injured and require euthanizing.