Animal beatings are sadly on the rise with one report of animal abuse made every 15 minutes the call line is open, according to new figures released by the RSPCA.
The charity is highlighting these stark figures as part of its Summer Cruelty Campaign. Instead of a time of sunshine and fun, for many animals, summer is when cruelty peaks.
Picture credit: RSPCA
In Leicestershire there has been a 66 per cent rise in reports of beatings during the summer months from 2020 to 2024 (36 vs 61) and 233 reports in total.
Across England and Wales, there has been a 105 per cent rise in reports of beatings in summer over the last four years (1,613 for July/August 2020 to 3,304 in July/August 2024) with four beatings reported every hour or one every 15 minutes the call line is open.
Year on year the number of beating reports has risen by 10% and the charity is braced for this to continue to climb this summer.
Ian Briggs, Head of SOU at the RSPCA, said: “These are really distressing and stark figures. One report of an animal being beaten every half an hour is a horrible thought, but sadly this is the reality in summer when our cruelty line receives a beating report every 30 minutes. 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 Cruelty 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.”
Ian added: “We are 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, on lifts and even behind closed doors in the home, giving us the evidence we need to be able to seek justice for animals in need.”
Sadly dogs were the most likely pet to be beaten with nearly 21,000 dog beating reports made to the charity last year alone with bulldog breeds the most likely to be abused (6,670 reports from 2022-2024) and Staffies (4,786) compared to just 22 reports for Old English Sheepdogs or 58 for West Highland Terriers.
