RSPCA Cymru has busiest day of the year amid escalating crisis of animal cruelty

In a striking showcase of the escalating crisis of animal cruelty in England and Wales, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Cymru reveals an alarming rise in distress calls.

The RSPCA says it had its busiest day of the year on Tuesday handling 4,060 calls to its cruelty line.

The charity’s frontline rescue teams are inundated daily with heartbreaking reports of animal abuse, leading to a record number of rescue operations.

To combat this surge, RSPCA Cymru has launched its ‘Cancel Out Cruelty’ campaign, aiming to raise funds for its rescue teams, as well as enhance public awareness about the urgent need to put an end to animal cruelty.

The charity handled 4,060 calls about potential animal abuse across England and Wales on July 18th alone, leading to 1,775 incidents requiring immediate investigation by frontline officers.

Disturbing incidents in Wales included the grim discovery of a dead puppy with missing body parts and a collapsed, suffering fox in a warehouse.

Despite the enormity of the challenge, the RSPCA in Wales consists of a lean team of just 32 frontline officers spread across three inspectorate regions.

Last year, the Welsh division received 5,632 complaints of alleged cruelty, 753 of which reported intentional harm – a disconcerting increase of 9% from the previous year.

“Summer is our peak time, with mid-July typically being when we receive more calls. The calls we receive are heartbreaking – our call takers never know what they will hear,” said Tom Buckley, hub manager at the RSPCA’s National Control Centre.

He further highlighted the crucial role of call handlers and frontline rescuers in saving lives and coordinating rescues, underlining the urgent need for public support to enable them to continue their work.

The RSPCA handles approximately 91,500 calls to its cruelty line every month and investigates around 5,300 reports of deliberate animal cruelty.

However, these numbers dramatically increase during the summer months to 133,000 calls and 8,400 reports of cruelty, a staggering average of 271 every day or 11 every hour.

Despite this daunting reality, frontline rescue teams across England and Wales tirelessly strive to bring animals to safety and perpetrators to justice, while RSPCA staff and volunteers nationwide assist in providing necessary treatment and care for rescued animals.

The scale of the challenge, combined with stories of hope and bravery from frontline officers, underscores the crucial importance of RSPCA’s efforts and their ‘Cancel Out Cruelty’ campaign.

As the charity tackles this summer surge, they call on the UK public’s support to ensure that the animals in need receive the care they so desperately require, and those responsible for their abuse are held accountable.

The RSPCA’s frontline teams are working hard to rescue animals in need this summer but we can’t do it alone – we need your help to Cancel Out Cruelty. To help support the RSPCA, visit: www.rspca.org.uk/cruelty