Animal cruelty cases rise across the Midlands - new figures
The number of animal cruelty complaints in the Midlands shot up last year - with Staffordshire and Shropshire among the worst offenders, new figures show.
RSPCA inspectors across the region investigated 33,644 complaints last year, compared to 32,516 in 2015 - an increase of 3.5 per cent.
But In Shropshire the rise was 9.7 per cent and in Staffordshire 4.9 per cent - making them the third and fourth highest risers out of 12 Midlands counties.
Cases included a royal python and boa constrictor which were both decapitated with a pair of scissors in Shropshire and a dog repeatedly stabbed in the face after she urinated on a bag of marijuana in Oldbury.
Other shocking cases include a former racehorce stabled in Stourbridge which was so thin every bone in its body could be seen, a cat which was purposely drowned in a bath by his owner in Cheshire and a puppy thrown from a third-floor window in Leicestershire.
In the region, the highest number of complaints investigated was in the West Midlands (6,834), followed by Merseyside (3,818) and Staffordshire (3,350). Derbyshire was fourth (3,246), followed by Nottinghamshire (3,157). The county with the biggest rise in complaints was Merseyside, with 10 per cent.
RSPCA inspectors investigated 92 new reports of animal cruelty every day in the Midlands region last year - around four new complaints every hour - but a charity chief puts the latest figures down to an increase in people reporting animal cruelty.
Dermot Murphy, assistant director o the RSPCA inspectorate, said: "It continues to outrage and sadden me that people can be capable of such deliberate brutality towards animals but, equally, it drives me on to ensure that perpetrators of animal cruelty are put before the courts.
“I believe that the figures from last year show that we’re not becoming more cruel but that people are simply less willing to stand by and do nothing if they think an animal is suffering.
“People are increasingly likely to share images or footage on their social media accounts of animals they believe are not being cared for properly. Our officers are under increased pressure having to respond to more calls."
Nationally, in 2016 the RSPCA received 1,153,744 calls to its 24-hour cruelty line, investigated 149,604 complaints and issued 84,725 advice and improvement notices. However its prosecution success rate dropped to 744 people punished through the courts, down by 6.53 per cent, with 628 disqualification orders secured following prosecution, a fall of 4.46 per cent.
The latest RSPCA statistics, featured in the charity’s Prosecutions Annual Report 2016, come 10 years after the Animal Welfare Act was introduced in England and Wales, making it possible for the RSPCA to intervene earlier. Mr Murphy also praised the dedication of RSPCA staff and volunteers.
