Full moon brings rise in cruelty to animals

THE full moon has long been associated with werewolves, vampires and witchcraft, but now an animal charity says it could also be linked to a rise in animal abuse.

The charity has released statistics showing a correlation between an increase in reports of abuse and the lunar cycle.

The RSPCA has found an average increase in calls so far this year of about 12 per cent, or 169 reports, when there has been a full moon.

The highest number of calls during a full moon happened in April, when it received 339 more calls – a spike of more than 28 per cent on the day before.

RSPCA staff officer Dermot Murphy said: “We can’t explain why this phenomenon occurs, although there are anecdotal reports from emergency services that they also see an increase.

“It could be the fact there is increased light during the full moon so people out and about are more likely to spot an animal in distress, or the legend is true and it really does bring out the darker side of human nature.”

The link between full moons and extremes in human behaviour has been identified in past scientific studies.