Animal-rights activist Tash Peterson and her partner, Jack Higgs, announced that they were bankrupt in an Instagram video posted late Friday, according to PerthNow’s report of 10 May 2025. The report says bankruptcy orders followed a defamation case arising from videos filmed at Bicton Veterinary Clinic in 2021. It identifies $172,911 owed to veterinarian Kay McIntosh as the amount underlying the bankruptcy order, while the couple’s broader debt and personal-finance statements were not independently verified in the report.
What Peterson and Higgs said in the video
PerthNow reported that Peterson and Higgs made the announcement on Instagram late Friday. Peterson said, “We are officially bankrupt and our passports are being taken away from us.” Higgs said they owed more than half a million dollars to a veterinary clinic because of the previous year’s trial and said they planned to surrender their passports.
Peterson also said their personal accounts had been “wiped” and that they did not have money for everyday living expenses. Those are statements by the couple; PerthNow did not independently verify their account balances or the total amount they owe.
Peterson added that they would continue speaking out for animals. Her closing remarks framed the bankruptcy and passport comments as part of their activism, but the statements do not change the legal basis for the orders.
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What amount was behind the bankruptcy orders?
PerthNow reported that Registrar Russell Trott made bankruptcy orders after veterinarian Kay McIntosh obtained orders in late April. The report says $172,911 was found owing to Dr McIntosh for the bankruptcy order. That is the specific amount the report identifies as the basis for the order.
The report also describes damages awarded in a November Supreme Court ruling. These are separate reported figures, not interchangeable descriptions of the bankruptcy-order amount:
| Figure | What PerthNow says it represents |
|---|---|
| $172,911 | Amount found owing to Dr McIntosh as the basis for the bankruptcy order, according to PerthNow. |
| $150,000 plus interest | November ruling award to Dr McIntosh, according to PerthNow. |
| $110,000 | November ruling award to her husband, Andrew McIntosh, according to PerthNow. |
| More than half a million dollars | Higgs’s estimate of what the couple owed the clinic after the trial; PerthNow did not present it as an independently itemized total. |
The report does not reconcile Higgs’s broader estimate with the other figures. They should not be added together or treated as a verified accounting of the couple’s total debt.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the case relates to the Bicton Veterinary Clinic videos
The reported orders followed a defamation trial involving Peterson and Higgs, Kay and Andrew McIntosh, and Bicton Veterinary Clinic. PerthNow says the case arose from videos the couple made at the clinic in 2021, in which Peterson made accusations about the business. Those accusations are allegations made in the videos, not facts established by this account.
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PerthNow’s story is the basis for the figures and procedural description here. The underlying court orders, full judgment and Instagram video were not independently reviewed, so details beyond what the report states—including the full procedural history and the exact upload date—are not established here.
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