Animal-cruelty caseload on pace for a record year

VANCOUVER — The B.C. SPCA is expecting a record year in cruelty investigations, with a projected total of 11,000 cases to be opened by the end of 2015.

The not-for-profit has funded 8,900 investigations already this year — equal to the number of cases recorded in all of 2014.

“If it continues in terms of the trend that’s happened this year, then yes ... [it will be] an absolute record year,” chief prevention and enforcement officer Marcie Moriarty told The Province.

“We anticipate we will reach around the 11,000 mark.”

But Moriarty doesn’t see these numbers as bad news; instead, she calls it “a great thing.”

The larger numbers are “not necessarily” due to an increase in animal cruelty, but rather to increased reporting.

Moriarty said the opening of a call centre three years ago has helped, because it serves as a “centralized” number people can call to report cruelty.

Previously, calls went into one of the 41 branches — which was particularly problematic for communities without an SPCA branch.

Since the call centre opened, there has been an increase in calls, Moriarty said.

Of last year’s 8,900 investigations, 160 warrants were issued where animals were seized, and 53 animal-cruelty charges were recommended.

Numbers aren’t available for 2015, but more than 100 warrants have been issued so far, Moriarty said.

The most severe cases involve animal hoarding, which Moriarty said is a “massive issue in this province.”

According to Debbie Goodine, a senior animal protection officer in Prince George, hoarding calls generally come from family members or the public, such as a delivery person who notices clutter and odour, or someone simply seeing a large number of cats in the window.

“It’s hoarding-type situations that you might see on TLC,” Goodine said. “There’s junk and debris everywhere.”

More often than not, the hoarding involves cats, usually upward of 60, that are unsocialized and fearful. Along with the clutter, the home will be littered with urine and feces, resulting in high ammonia levels and poor air quality.

Hoarding often stems from mental-health issues, so owners “just don’t have the resources to remedy the situation on their own,” Goodine said.

The calls often result in warrants, with SPCA officers and veterinarians attending the home to rescue the animals. If the resources are available, police and mental-health workers also attend.

Fortunately, most calls can be resolved with education. These cases usually involve an owner who “hasn’t really been paying attention to the animal’s needs and once it’s pointed out, they respond to those needs,” Moriarty said.

To report an animal in distress, the public is urged to call the B.C. SPCA’s animal-cruelty hotline at 1-855-622-7722.