Port Lincoln animal cruelty incident

The Port Lincoln animal cruelty incident refers to events on 25 March 2025, in which 21-year-old Gracie Giblin was filmed throwing the bodies of a kitten into the ocean at the Port Lincoln wharf in South Australia. Videos of the incident, which showed Giblin laughing, were posted to social media and sparked widespread public outrage, prompting a joint investigation by SA Police and RSPCA SA.

Port Lincoln animal cruelty incident
A still from the video showing Gracie Giblin swinging the tabby kitten by its tail.
Key Details
Location	Port Lincoln wharf, Port Lincoln, South Australia, Australia
Species Involved	Cats, rabbits
Type of Abuse	Alleged animal cruelty, improper disposal of animal remains
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
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	Filmed swinging a kitten by its tail and throwing it into the water at Port Lincoln wharf.
Punitive Measure	Under investigation

Incident

On the evening of 25 March 2025, Gracie Giblin was seen at the Port Lincoln wharf with the carcass of a rabbit. According to a witness account reported by the Daily Mail, Giblin claimed to have run it over with her car earlier in the day. The witness stated Giblin was "swinging it around and laughing" before throwing the carcass, which was in a supermarket bag, into the water. The witness then described Giblin driving off, returning minutes later to announce she had also hit a cat, and then reappearing while swinging the kitten by its tail from her car window before throwing it into the harbour.

According to a witness, Giblin laughed as she drove around with the dead kitten.

A still from the video showing Gracie Giblin throwing the tabby kitten into the water.

After footage of the incident circulated, volunteers from the "Making a Difference Cat Rescue" group attended the scene. They recovered the bodies of a kitten and a baby rabbit from the water.

• The bodies of the rabbit and cat recovered from the water:
• 
• 

Identification and public reaction

A community post on Facebook regarding the incident.

The footage was shared widely on social media platforms, leading to intense public condemnation. Giblin was quickly identified online as the person in the video, with many posts highlighting her occupation as a dance teacher and qualified childcare worker.

A commenter of the community post on Facebook shared this screenshot. Giblin allegedly deactivated her account shortly after.

An online petition on Change.org calling for legal action garnered tens of thousands of signatures. The story received national and international media coverage.

Investigation and official responses

South Australia Police confirmed they were aware of the incident and had spoken to a 21-year-old woman at a Port Lincoln address. The woman was subsequently taken to a hospital for assessment. Police stated that inquiries were ongoing and that they were liaising with RSPCA South Australia regarding any alleged offences under the Animal Welfare Act.

RSPCA South Australia acknowledged it had received a report about an incident involving a cat and a rabbit and confirmed its inspectors were investigating alongside SA Police. The organisation made no further comment while the investigation was active.

External links

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