Reports of beatings and abuse of pets are on the rise, with one report of animal cruelty made every 15 minutes that the RSPCA’s call line is open.
Kitten crisis: Berlioz the cat suffered multiple fractures to his skull and ribs at the hands of an abusive owner. He is now being looked after by an RSPCA volunteer
The charity is highlighting these stark figures as part of a campaign to reduce cruelty to animals.
According to figures released by the animal charity, in June, July and August last year the RSPCA took 34,401 cruelty calls to their emergency line – compared to 25,887 the year before.
In London, there has been a 89% rise in reports of beatings during the summer months from 2020 to 2024 (from 215 to 408) and 1,559 reports in total.
Across England and Wales, there has been a 105% rise in reports of beatings in summer over the last four years, with four beatings reported every hour.
The charity is braced for this to continue to climb this summer. The RSPCA’s Ian Briggs said, “These are really distressing and stark figures.
“It isn’t clear why there has been such a dramatic increase in abuse against animals, but what is clear is that animals are suffering at the hands of people on a much bigger scale than many people realise.
“This is why our summer campaign is so important to highlight that for thousands of animals, summer is a season of pain and suffering when cruelty peaks. As the RSPCA braces to help tackle animal cruelty, we need your help now more than ever to continue to rescue animals in desperate need of care.”
In London, a dog was rescued by the RSPCA after CCTV footage caught the moment she was violently abused by her owner. The distressing footage showed the pet being picked up by her front legs and thrown down the corridor, where she lands on a mat near the front door. She is then kicked as she tries to get up. A man was prosecuted by the RSPCA.
Briggs said: “We’re finding that CCTV footage, doorbell cameras and smartphones are providing a view into society that we never had before, meaning that animal beatings are more likely to be caught on camera in supermarket car parks, on streets, in lifts, and even behind closed doors in the home – giving us the evidence we need to be able to seek justice for animals.
“This could account for the rise that we are seeing as these awful abusers are more likely to be caught on camera, uploaded to social media or reported directly to us.”
Nearly 21,000 dog beating reports were made to the charity last year, with bulldog breeds and Staffies the most likely to be abused.
- Support the RSPCA’s Summer Cruelty Appeal at: rspca.org.uk/endcruelty
Read more: More dangerous dog attacks in Croydon than other boroughs
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