Animal cruelty is rising in Wiltshire, with the number of reports increasing by 33%
It comes as the RSPCA launches it's Cancel out Cruelty campaign, that raises awareness of the issue and aims to stop cruelty to animals for good.
Last updated 4th Jul 2023
We're hearing that the RSPCA in Wiltshire is preparing for its busiest year of animal cruelty, as new figures show the issue is on the rise.
In Wiltshire, there's been a 33% increase in the number of reports of intentional harm against animals, with almost 130 reports last year.
It comes as the RSPCA launches it's Cancel out Cruelty campaign, that raises awareness of the issue and aims to stop cruelty to animals for good.
Nicola Walker works for the RSPCA and tells us more:
"So sadly, Wiltshire is the same as the national trend. We've seen a rise and it's worked out at about 33%. So that's nearly 130 reports of what we call intentional cruelty last year, and for a county; that's a lot of incidents.
"But it's across the board, it could be beatings, mutilations - things like the ear cropping, which seems to have become a really sad trend that's happening- then poisonings or shootings.
"It's all really sad stuff and and it's not just kind of, you know, domestic animals. It's our wildlife as well that get targeted. So yeah, sadly the county is reflecting what we're seeing nationally as well.
"We'll never truly know why it happens, but one of the the reasons some people put forward for the fact this issue is biggest in the summer, is because obviously the days are longer. So people are out and about more, and perhaps they're seeing more incidents. But we will never fully know why it is happening."
The national figures, exclusively released by the RSPCA, shows:
- In 2022 the charity saw a 22% increase in reports of beatings (9,658 in 2022, compared to 7,857 in 2021) that’s 26 every day.
- The number of beatings reported to the RSPCA in 2022 peaked in August, when 1,081 reports were received - a staggering 35 a day
- The number of animals killed in ‘suspicious circumstances’ increased in 2022 by 15% from by 2021 (891 in 2022, compared to 775 in 2021)
- 77% of all cruelty complaints reported to the charity 2022 were beatings
Nicola added that it was difficult to comprehend the figures:
"Speaking personally... you feel really sad because you know that there's so many animals out there that have been suffering, and any animal lover knows how heart-breaking that is to think about.
"So for me, it's just really heart wrenching to think of all the different types of animals that have been suffering at the hands of us humans."
Overall, the number of reports made nationally to the charity’s cruelty line about intentional harm to animals - including beatings, mutilations such as ear cropping, poisonings and even killings - has increased by 14%, with 12,582 reported last year compared to 11,012 reports in 2021.
As a result, the animal charity is bracing for one of its busiest summers this year as it expects another summer of suffering, with more people reporting cruelty to animals from July to September.
The charity has launched its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign, to raise funds to help its frontline rescue teams continue to save animals from cruelty and abuse and to raise awareness about how to stop cruelty to animals for good.
Rebecca Lowe is the Chief Inspector:
“Right now, animal cruelty is happening in England and Wales on a massive scale and rising, and sadly the number of cruelty incidents in Wiltshire are also too high. It is heartbreaking that we are seeing figures which show animal cruelty is, very sadly, on the rise.
“While we don’t know for certain why there has been an increase in reports of cruelty, the cost of living crisis and the post-pandemic world we live in has created an animal welfare crisis with more people getting pets with potentially less time and money to care for them.
“Each year, these reports of cruelty reach its terrible annual peak in the summer months – when nationally we receive a report of an animal being beaten on average every hour of every day.
“The cost-of-living crisis also means the cost of rescuing animals is at an all-time high and our vital services are stretched to the limit.”
It is not known why reports of animal cruelty peak in the summer months although factors like animal abuse being more visible as people are outdoors more, could be one factor.
The RSPCA is the only charity rescuing animals and investigating cruelty in England and Wales with a team of frontline rescue officers, specialist vet teams and a network of animal care centres and 140 branches providing rehabilitation to animal victims.
Rebecca added that as a charity, they rely on the public to support them:
“Together, we believe we can and will cancel out cruelty to animals by replacing violence with kindness. We are urging people to donate to our Cancel Out Cruelty campaign, every donation will help animals.”