Animal cruelty

LONDON: Cases of animal cruelty rose by 5% last year as people recorded abuse with smartphones, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said.

Cases of cruelty included a python decapitated with scissors, a shih-tzu stabbed in the face with a kitchen knife and left to die, and an eagle kept in a cramped kitchen.

The RSPCA investigated 149 604 complaints of animal abuse last year – the equivalent of 410 a day. Briefs: Reuters, Daily Mail