Neglect and cruelty to animals on the increase
CASES of neglect and “horrific cruelty” towards animals in Wales are on the rise, it has been revealed.
In 2017 prosecutions hit a fouryear high, with 148 convictions being secured against 67 people from across the country.
In total, more than 10,000 complaints of cruelty against animals were investigated by the RSPCA in just one year, a situation the charity has described as “extremely shocking and deeply saddening”.
Some of the worst cases involved a man from Pembrokeshire who failed to provide proper care for five ponies, leading one inspector to label it the “worst case of overgrown hooves” he had seen in 18 years.
In other notable cases, a man bludgeoned a cat to death at a hotel in Conwy, a man and a woman from Llanelli were handed suspended prison sentences after a video showed a pony being whipped and kicked, and a dog was left to suffer in such bad conditions that the smell burned the eyes of the RSPCA inspector on duty.
“It is extremely shocking and deeply saddening to see this level of horrific cruelty across Wales,” said RSPCA Cymru’s superintendent Martyn Hubbard.
“The number of convictions secured now stand at a four-year high in Wales, with our inspectors dealing with disturbing and unique cases of deliberate abuse towards helpless animals.
“Last year we dealt with several distressing cases that involved video evidence that had been shared via social media. Convictions were successfully secured in cases where, for example, a video showed three men launching a rat out of a pipe like a cannonball, while another video showed a pony being brutally whipped and kicked.
“This evidence causes great distress and public outcry.
“Prosecution is always a last resort for the RSPCA – and court cases were the huge minority of the 28 complaints we investigated on average every single day of 2017.
“Nevertheless, the nature of cases dealt with by our frontline officers throughout 2017 once again demonstrates the importance of this work.”
Cardiff was the worst county in Wales for number of complaints received, with 838 incidents of cruelty being investigated in 2017, followed by Swansea (789) and Rhondda Cynnon Taf (740).
A lot of the incidents reported to the RSPCA over the past year have involved horses and other equines, leading the charity to describe the situation as an “ongoing horse crisis”.
In 2017 there were 1,331 equinerelated calls in Wales, involving 4,616 equines in total. Almost a quarter of those animals were in Pembrokeshire, where 1,065 equines were involved in calls made to the charity.
To report an animal in need of help you can call 0300 1234 999.