A dead puppy found in a garden with body parts missing, a cat thrown from a moving car … and the body of a neglected dog found dumped in a suitcase.
These were just some of the heartbreaking incidents the RSPCA dealt with on their busiest day of the year – 18 July.
The animal charity is giving the public a glimpse of the incredible work of their frontline rescue teams – caring for the animal victims of heartbreaking cruelty on their busiest day of the year.
It comes as the charity launches its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign, to raise funds to help its busy frontline rescue teams continue to save animals from cruelty and abuse and to raise awareness about how to stop cruelty to animals for good.
On July 18th, the charity received 4,060 calls to its cruelty line – on average six a minute during opening hours – with 1,775 incidents investigated by frontline rescuers.
Tom Buckley, hub manager at the RSPCA’s National Control Centre, based in Barnsley, said: “We take more than a million calls a year but summer is our peak time – with mid July typically being when we receive more calls. The calls we receive are heartbreaking – our dedicated call takers never know what they will hear when they answer the call, but it can range from a report of animals being beaten, shot, abandoned or poisoned.
“Our call handlers know they can make a difference because, working together with frontline rescuers, they can help save lives and coordinate rescues of all types of animals.
“That’s why we need the public’s support more than ever to help Cancel Out Cruelty so our call staff and frontline rescuers along with centre and branch staff, can work together to help all those animals in need.”
Tom added that, for anyone wanting to report an incident to the RSPCA, to check the charity’s website first: “As we are so busy, we have information on our website which gives advice on if people can help the animal themselves if it is safe and possible to do so, or if the RSPCA isn’t the most appropriate organisation to call. This really helps free up our cruelty line and our frontline rescuers to focus on investigating the heartbreaking cruelty and neglect cases which flood in over summer.”
The RSPCA receives around 91,500 calls to its cruelty line every month and investigates 5,300 reports of deliberate animal cruelty.
But in the peak of summer (during July and August) calls rise to 133,000 a month, and reports of cruelty soar to 8,400 during these months; a heartbreaking 271 every day, or 11 every hour.
Reports are prioritised and tasked out to frontline rescue teams across England and Wales who work tirelessly to help bring animals to safety, and animal abusers to justice.
Meanwhile staff and volunteers at RSPCA centres and branches up and down the country are ready to assist in providing any treatment and care the rescued animals may need throughout the day.
Calls throughout the day included:
In the West Midlands, five rabbits were abandoned at the RSPCA Coventry and District Branch by a member of the public who said they had been found in a box in the road. The animal rescue centre, which does not have facilities for caring for rabbits, took the pets for a health-check before finding them a foster carer who will help them until they are found homes. Across England and Wales, foster carers offer valuable support to the work of RSPCA officers and centres.
Meanwhile, over in West Sussex, animal rescue officer Chloe Wilson responds to a call about an injured herring gull. Chloe checks the seabird over and finds his left wing is probably broken. The poor bird is unable to walk without falling over – another suspected case of Avian Influenza which sadly so many RSPCAofficers up and down the country come across on a regular basis amid the ongoing outbreak. The kindest thing to do is to put this gull to sleep due to his condition.
In South East Wales, inspector Sophie Daniels has been called to reports by a member of the public concerned about a dead dog – with body parts missing – seen in a garden along with another live dog. The body of the dead puppy has been removed by Sophie and a vet has confirmed that the injury is consistent with an attack from another dog. Enquiries are ongoing.
In Northamptonshire, three officers and an animal rescue volunteer attend a report of two swans and three ducks covered in oil at a lake. The oil is believed to be petrol or diesel, which could have been deliberately dumped in the water. The team of officers successfully catch the two swans, who are taken to a wildlife hospital to be washed and treated for ingesting oil. The three ducks managed to evade being caught so the officers will try again tomorrow.
In the West Midlands, a kitten collapses in the garden of a house in Newcombe Road in Birmingham. The female cat, aged about six to eight weeks, has an injured leg and appears to be breathing with difficulty. ARO Baljit Dhamia attends and gives the struggling feline oxygen and transports the poor puss to RSPCA Birmingham Animal Centre and Hospital. Staff immediately give the feline urgent veterinary treatment including oxygen. They have named the kitten Manny – after the person who found him – and will be keeping a watchful eye on him over the next few critical hours.
The RSPCA’s frontline teams are working hard to rescue animals in need this summer but they can’t do it alone – we need your help to Cancel Out Cruelty. To help support the RSPCA, visit: www.rspca.org.uk/cruelty
