Deliberate Animal Cruelty Such As Microwaving And Beating Pets Has Risen, Says RSPCA
Deliberate Animal Cruelty Such As Microwaving Pets Has Risen, Says RSPCA
PA / The Huffington Post UK
|
Animal cruelty is on the rise, the RSPCA has warned, with pets being increasingly subjected to horrific acts of violence.
Figures from the animal welfare charity showed that they investigated 159,831 complaints in 2014, compared to 153,770 in 2013.
One in eight of the complaints (13%) the RSPCA looked into - a total of 20,258 cases - involved alleged deliberate and often violent cruelty to animals.
Open Image Modal
Horrific examples of cruelty to animals include a Staffie puppy in Cumbria caught on camera being thrown, kicked and having his head trapped in a door and a dog named Ziggy who was found shot in the head with a 20-inch crossbow bolt near Peterborough.
Other cases saw a rabbit die in agony after being microwaved in Gloucestershire, a cat who had been run over in Lancashire die after being kicked like a football by a passer-by instead of being helped, and an eight-week-old Jack Russell terrier puppy from East Sussex left with a painful raw wound when its tail was cut off.
RSPCA chief veterinary officer James Yeates said: "It is extremely concerning that we are still receiving more than 20,000 complaints about animals being deliberately caused to suffer and that's 20,000 too many.
"Most of the complaints we receive involve animals being neglected or not receiving the right care and often we can put that right by offering welfare advice.
"However, it is shocking that in 2014 people are still being deliberately cruel in what can be disturbingly inventive ways."
The number of convictions and people convicted for animal cruelty fell last year with 1,029 people convicted of animal welfare crimes in 2014 in England and Wales, down from 1,371 in 2013.
There were five prosecutions relating to the "Neknomination" craze online in which several people took part in "dares" involving swallowing live fish, frogs and even a lizard, the RSPCA said.
The pets most likely to fall victim to alleged deliberate cruelty were dogs, the majority of which were reported as being beaten, followed by cats, and then rabbits and small animals.
But the charity said many owners listened to advice given by RSPCA inspectors with the number of people who were offered, and then accepted, welfare advice increasing from 76,810 in 2013 to 82,746 in 2014.
Story continues below...
Animals With Jobs
Station Master Cat(01 of10)
Open Image Modal
Wakayama Electric Railway in Japan has a cat as a station master. Tama was appointed in 2007 and her main duties are to welcome passengers to Kishi Station. Instead of a traditional salary the railway operators pay her in cat food. In 2010 she was given a promotion, making her the first cat in the world to become an executive of a railroad corporation. (credit:TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)
Checkpoint Macaque(02 of10)
Open Image Modal
Santisuk, a pig-tailed macaque (like the one pictured) is a valued member of the Thai police force. After being adopted by the force after he was found with a broken arm the macaque now works on a checkpoint to improve relations with the local community. His tasks include morale boosting at the checkpoint and collecting coconuts. (credit:Flickr:gidovd)
Reading Assistance Dogs(03 of10)
Open Image Modal
Reading Education Assistance Dogs help children learning how to read by offering them a furry ear. The trained dogs will sit with the children as they read out loud, providing a non-judgemental audience for a story - particularly helpful for readers lacking in confidence. (credit:Flickr:Elsie esq.)
Search And Rescue Dogs(04 of10)
Open Image Modal
Search and rescue dogs are trained to help find people who go mission or become trapped in perilous situations. Probably the most well-known are the mountain rescue dogs who learn techniques like air scenting to locate people by their smell. Trailing dogs also use scent but specialise in tracking missing people such as Alzheimer's patients. (credit:STR/AFP/Getty Images)
Sniffer Dogs(05 of10)
Open Image Modal
Instead of sniffing out humans, detection dogs can also be used for other purposes. Trying to detect illegal drugs or explosives for law enforcement agents is probably the most well-known but they can also be taught to sniff out nasties like bed bugs. (credit:PA)
Guide Horses(06 of10)
Open Image Modal
Guide dogs are famed for their ability to help humans, but guiding isn't just the domain of dogs. The Guide Horse Foundation provides miniature horses for people with visual impairment. The horses learn the same behaviours as guide dogs and can deal with escalators, navigate traffic and respond to voice commands. (credit:Getty Images)
Honeybee Mine Detectors(07 of10)
Open Image Modal
Honeybees have also found themselves employed in human service and not just for their honey-making skills. Researchers at Zagreb University have been teaching the bees to associate the smell of TNT with sugar and thus help locate landmines. Because bees are so tiny they don't risk setting off the mines by accident. (credit:Flickr:DrPhotoMoto)
Mine-hunting Dolphins(08 of10)
Open Image Modal
Underwater mines are beyond the reach of bees, but not of dolphins. The US Navy currently uses the echolocation abilities of dolphins to detect and tag mines which have been tethered to the ocean floor or buried in sediment. The creatures managed to help locate over 100 mines and traps when deployed in the port of Umm Qasr in Iraq and the dolphin in the picture here helped discover a 19th century torpedo off San Diego. (credit:AP)
Rat Detectives(09 of10)
Open Image Modal
Dutch police have been investigating the power of rat detectives. Rather than using dogs to sniff out substances like gunpowder, the police department is recruiting rats. They're far more skittish than dogs, but cost a fraction of the price both to acquire and to train. (credit:Flickr:Alois Staudacher)
Dickin Medal(10 of10)
Open Image Modal
Pigeons have been employed as a message delivery service, particularly during wartime. The work makes use of a pigeon's ability to find its way home and was employed extensively by soldiers on the battlefield during the First and Second World Wars. 32 pigeons have been awarded the Dickin Medal for their service in wartime. Including G. I. Joe, pictured receiving the Dickin Medal at the Tower of London. (credit:PA)
Mr Yeates said: "Our aim is always to prevent cruelty so it's really positive that a greater number of people followed our advice.
"Crucially this means that although we are still receiving complaints about cruelty we are often getting to incidents before suffering has occurred and helping owners to provide for their animals, whether that means getting veterinary care for them or just giving them the right diet.
"Sadly, though, where cruelty is still happening there will be a need to prosecute in the most serious cases and it is upsetting that so many people are still mistreating animals by deliberately causing them harm or by not providing them with the care they deserve."