Summer crisis: RSPCA gets call about dumped animal every 6 minutes
The RSPCA is warning of a summer abandonment crisis with a 85% increase in the number of reports about dumped animals in the summer months.
The oldest and biggest animal welfare charity in England and Wales is expecting to see a huge rise in calls about abandoned pets, often dumped in boxes, thrown in bins or left on the side of roads.
Throughout June, July and August last year, the RSPCA received 23,673** calls about dumped animals which equates to one call every 6 minutes.
This is an increase of at least 85% on the number of animals reported abandoned during the colder months.***
Dermot Murphy, RSPCA’S Chief Inspectorate Officer, said: “Sadly, we see a dramatic increase in the number of animals abandoned in the summer. From unwanted newborn kittens and puppies dumped in boxes and bins, exotic pets cast aside or horses abandoned in someone else’s field, dumped like rubbish.
“There is never an excuse to abandon an animal in this way and we would urge anyone who is struggling to cope with their pets to contact us or other charities for help. Our pets are sentient beings and great companions who rely on us for their health and happiness so dumping them like an old mobile phone or a piece of rubbish should never be the answer.
“The peak in animals being abandoned in the summer puts a massive strain on our inspectors, animal centres and branches who are left picking up the pieces when an animal is dumped.”
It is not clear why the figures rise so dramatically in the warmer months but it may be that abandoned animals are more visible when people are out and about, that people feel less guilty about leaving them alone when the weather is warmer or even that some people dump their pets when they go away on holiday and have nowhere for them to go.
Among those abandoned last year was was a skinny pony who was crawling with maggots and found abandoned in Hampshire in June last year. The eight year old emaciated horse had ulcerated skin from a suspected lice infestation and was very dehydrated. Despite all this, he was still very affectionate and loving when the RSPCA rescued him.
Other cases of abandonments dealt with by the RSPCA in the region last year were:
A rabbit dumped in a cage in Somerset
An extremely skinny dog dumped in a park in Bournemouth in August last year
Number of abandoned animals reported in the South West in summer 2018:
It costs the RSPCA nearly £30,000 to run an animal centre, providing vet care, food, toys and comfort to needy animals, every month. To help the RSPCA continue to rescue animals like Rolo and Mia please visit www.rspca.org.uk/summercrisis
