Port Lincoln animal cruelty incident

Port Lincoln kitten incident
Gracie throwing a kitten's body into the water
Key Details
Location	Port Lincoln wharf, Port Lincoln, South Australia, Australia
Species Involved	Cats, rabbits
Type of Abuse	Physical harm
Timeline
Date of Incident	March 25, 2025
Date Discovered	March 26, 2025
Date Closed	—
Status & Outcome
Case Status	Under investigation by South Australia Police and RSPCA South Australia
Perpetrator	Gracie Giblin
Aftermath	Online outrage and condemnation, public demand for legal action

Person of Interest
Gracie's pic from her social media profile
Name	Gracie Giblin
Age	21 (at time of incident)
Occupation	Dance teacher and qualified childcare worker
Known Identifiers
Status	Person of interest spoken to by police; taken to hospital for assessment
Involvement	Alleged to have appeared in footage throwing a deceased kitten into the water at Port Lincoln wharf.
Punitive Measure	Under investigation

The Port Lincoln kitten incident (also reported as the Port Lincoln wharf kitten video) concerns a short video clip that circulated on social media in late March 2025 showing a young woman throwing a deceased tabby kitten into the water at the Port Lincoln wharf. Local news outlets reported that South Australia Police had attended a Port Lincoln address and spoken with a 21-year-old woman who was subsequently taken to hospital for an assessment while inquiries were made.

Incident

The dead rabbit recovered from the water

The dead cat recovered from the water

According to multiple locally posted eyewitness accounts and video copies shared to social media, on the evening of Tuesday, March 25, 2025, a woman was filmed carrying a small tabby kitten by its tail near the Port Lincoln wharf. The footage showed the woman swinging the kitten before throwing the animal into the water. Community members who attended the area thereafter also reported finding a small deceased rabbit in the water near the same location.

Identification and social-media circulation

The footage was originally posted to local community Facebook pages and animal-welfare pages, leading to widespread re-posting and a public petition calling for legal action. Social media posts widely identified the individual in the video as Gracie Giblin. Mainstream media outlets have reported that police spoke with a 21-year-old woman in relation to the incident, but have attributed the specific naming of the individual to social media.

Investigation and official responses

South Australia Police confirmed they were aware of an incident at the Port Lincoln wharf and that officers had attended a local address and spoken with a 21-year-old woman, who was then taken to hospital for an assessment. Police stated they were liaising with RSPCA South Australia regarding any alleged offenses and that inquiries were ongoing. RSPCA South Australia acknowledged it had received a report about an incident involving a cat and a rabbit and would not comment further while investigations were underway.

Public reaction

The video triggered strong reactions across social media and in national and international tabloid coverage. A Change.org petition gathered signatures calling for legal action, and local rescue volunteers expressed shock and outrage, while some community pages urged restraint while inquiries were carried out.

Context: animal welfare in the Port Lincoln region

Local reporting has highlighted ongoing challenges for animal welfare on the Lower Eyre Peninsula, including the closure of an RSPCA facility in Port Lincoln in 2024 and significant pressure on local volunteer rescue groups.

External links

• Gracie Giblin Port Lincoln South Australia animal abuse - Archive.org