Greater Manchester has the second-highest rates of animal cruelty in the UK, and reports are expected to spike over the coming months as summer kicks in, and more pet owners battle the rising cost of living crisis.
New figures from the RSPCA show the region has a high level of animal cruelty, with 553 reports of intentional harm to animals made to the charity across Greater Manchester last year - the second highest rate in the country behind London. The organisation sees a spike in reports over the summer months, and as the levels of pet ownership have been on the rise in recent years, the group is expecting to see a "summer of suffering" across the region.
American bull-type dog Tia is one of the animals who has been helped by the charity in Manchester, after she was hit, kicked, and stamped on by her owner, for chewing the TV remote. When she was taken into the RSPCA's Greater Manchester Animal Hospital, vets found she had visible injuries to her face and head, with both of her eyes red and bloodshot. There was also a cut above her left eye, and some red marks on her face and ears.
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She was very nervous during the examination too, cowering to the floor as vets checked her over. The charity discovered the young dog was beaten after her owner discovered she'd chewed the TV remote, shouting at her and hitting her in the face, stamping on her, and picking something up from the ground before hitting her in the head with it twice. A witness heard Tia yelping as the brutal attack was carried out.
Fortunately for Tia, after a period of rehabilitation with the charity they were able to find her a loving new home, but her injuries could have been much worse, with some animals abused so badly they need special care, and in some occassions they even have to be put to sleep.
The charity usually receives around 90,000 calls to its cruelty line each month, investigating 6,000 reports of deliberate animal cruelty, but in the summer they can get around 134,000 calls a month - three every minute - with reports of cruelty jumping up to 7,600 each month, 245 reports each day.
Reports can vary from animal fighting, to hunting, and even to owner's beating their pets for minor mistakes, like Tia's case. The RSPCA have launched a new campaign today, July 7, called Cancel Out Cruelty to raise awareness of the calls they receive and to raise money to help rescue teams assist animals in need.
The campaign features a video of RSPCA inspector Lauren Bailey, who rescued a mastiff-cross called Buddy who was scalded with boiling hot water, suffering second degree burns and being left in pain for ten days before he was finally taken into the charity's care. Two years on, and Buddy has now healed from his ordeal, and has been rehomed with a new family.
Overall, the number of reports made to the charity’s cruelty line about animals being inflicted with intentional harm - including beatings, mutilations such as ear cropping, poisonings and even killings, has increased by 7.9 per cent from summer 2020 to summer 2021, with more than 2,300 reports last June and July alone.
Dermot Murphy, Chief Inspectorate Officer at the RSPCA, said: “We are a nation of animal lovers and no one wants to think of an animal being cruelly treated but sadly the reality is that every day animals are victims of deliberate cruelty and thankfully the RSPCA is there to help them.
“There are many factors which could explain why we see a rise in cruelty during the summer months. The longer sunny days could mean people are out and about more and likely to see and report abuse. Hot summer days can also lead to more people drinking alcohol in the sun which in turn can be a factor causing violence. Perhaps there is boredom or pressures at home with children being off school which can make existing difficulties magnified.
“And this year, we are also concerned that the recent rise in pet ownership coupled with the cost of living crisis could see people really struggling to care for their pets which may lead them to lash out or could see more animals than ever being abandoned or given up.”
More than a million reports were made to the RSPCA's Cruelty Line in 2021, including over 1,000 reports of killings, 632 mutilations, and 38,000 abandonments. There were also 7,857 reports of beatings - the equivalent of one animal beaten every hour. The charity is trying to raise money to help each animal reported to them, and donations can be made either regularly or on a one-off occasion on the charity's website.
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