The decaying body of a starved dog found chained by a radiator, a cat kicked to death for having muddy paws, 316 rats crammed into seven cages and a dog with a deep neck wound from a collar more than four inches smaller than its neck. This is just a tiny sample of the horrors confronted by RSPCA inspectors in 2007.
But there are also some amazing tales of survival. Thanks to vigilant members of the public, the RSPCA has been alerted to some appalling situations in time to rescue animals which have survived against all the odds. These include a dog so thin its rescuers couldn’t identify it, a cat left to suffer for three weeks with a broken leg, and a staffie whose owners had cut its ears off. All are now enjoying new lives in loving new homes.
26% increase in banning orders1 issued by the courts (861 in 2007).
“These animals are the helpless victims of our affluent, throwaway society,” says Tim Wass, Chief Officer of the RSPCA Inspectorate. “They’re bought on a whim and discarded when the novelty wears off. Today’s must-have item quickly turns into tomorrow’s cast-off.
“Worse still,” Tim continues, “some animals are violently abused because they don’t meet their owners’ unrealistic expectations: like the cat kicked to death for having muddy paws or the dog strangled with its lead for misbehaving.”
But the year has good news, too, with the success of the new Animal Welfare Act already starting to take effect. The new Act – which came into force during 2007 – has made it possible to take action sooner than ever before in situations where there are animal welfare concerns.
The Act is already producing powerful results in its first twelve months. Where animal welfare concerns have prompted the RSPCA to give advice to an animal owner, that advice was followed and the problems resolved 92% of the time, meaning that no further action was necessary.
“Even in these early days, the benefits of the new law are clear,” Tim Wass enthuses. “Without the new Act, this year’s cruelty figures could have been even more horrific.”
Commenting on the 2007 cruelty statistics, Tim observes, “Dogs have always borne the brunt of cruelty – from violent outbursts to extreme neglect. But that’s what makes this year’s horrendous 34% increase even more shocking: it’s a massive increase on an already high figure.”
It was hoped that last year’s leap in convictions for cruelty to horses was an anomaly. But this year’s figures show that the higher numbers have been maintained – they increased by 33% between 2005 and 2006 - and then increased by a further 13% to 119 in 2007.
The rise in banning orders is a big improvement on the previous year, which had actually recorded a fall. The new Animal Welfare Act obliges courts to explain their reasons if they don’t impose a ban and this may have contributed to the increase. The new requirement seems to have focussed attention on preventative action which can prevent suffering and save lives.
“The main reason we take people to court is to prevent cruelty being repeated,” Tim Wass explains. “And it’s very reassuring to see the courts taking this seriously by issuing more and more banning orders, which prevent those convicted of cruelty from keeping animals in future.”
This year, for the first time, the Society has produced a county-by-county breakdown of the national Cruelty Statistics.
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Notes to Editors
1. Banning orders may be imposed by courts as part of sentencing. They ban the recipient for a specified period of time – up to life – from keeping all animals or specified species.
2. Case studies and photos are available from the special RSPCA Cruelty Stats website for journalists (see note 6 below)
3. The Animal Welfare Act came into force in England on 6 April 2007 and in Wales on 28 March.
4. The RSPCA Cruelty Statistics cover the period from 1 January to 31 December 2007.
5. The RSPCA video news release will be played out on the ITN news service on Tuesday 29 July at 1600-1700 BST (to allow for 2 passes of 20 min VNR) and again on Wednesday 30 July at 0900-1000 BST (to allow for 2 passes of 20 min VNR). Details are: Tuesday 29 July at 1600-1700 BST: Sky and any other broadcasters: local end ITN 71, BBC: BBC 501 (dedicated circuit between ITN/BBC), ITV regions: local end ITN 53; Wednesday 30 July at 0900-1000 BST: Sky and any other broadcasters: local end ITN 71, BBC: BBC 501 (dedicated circuit between ITN/BBC), ITV regions: D.6 (usual NNET channel).
6. National and regional case studies – most with downloadable photos – can be viewed on the special Cruelty Statistics website for journalists: www.rspca.org.uk/crueltystats from noon on Tuesday 29 July. A user ID and password are needed – both are written without any spaces and both are case sensitive; they are User ID: crueltystats Password: 30July.
7. National case studies and statistics follow in separate documents.
8. A number of surviving case animals are available for photos. Some inspectors and the new owners of rehomed animals are also available for interview. For information about photo opportunities and interviews, please contact the RSPCA national press office.
RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS
Press office direct lines: 0300 123 0244/0288 Fax: 0303 123 0099
Duty press officer (evenings and weekends) Tel 0870 0555500 and ask for pager number 828825
Email: press@rspca.org.uk Website: www.rspca.org.uk
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