Number of animal being beaten in Cambridgeshire on the rise

Shocking figures from the RSPCA reveal animal beatings across the country have risen by 90 per cent

The number of animal being beaten in Cambridgeshire has risen by over 60 per cent in five years. Shocking figures revealed by the RSPCA show that animal beatings reported to the charity from across the country have risen by 90 per cent since 2021.

This is equivalent to one incident reported every 15 minutes. In Cambridgeshire, the number of beatings last year stood at 276. This is a 61 per cent rise since 2021, when 171 incidents were reported to the RSPCA.

Dogs and cats are the most common animals to be attacked, but other animals are victims too. RSPCA superintendent Jo Hirst said: “It’s incredibly distressing to see such a massive rise in reports of intentional beatings with one report coming to our cruelty line every 15 minutes.

“These are often upsetting cases where animals, usually pet cats and dogs, have experienced deliberate and horrific violence – leaving animals with not only physical injuries but mental scars as well.

“The reasons why an individual acts in this way can be down to a multitude of factors – if they are struggling with behavioural problems or their mental health, they may have violent tendencies generally, or sometimes pets are used as part of coercive control, or simply the perpetrator has a complete lack of empathy for animals.”

The RSPCA has praised the public for their help in trying to tackle cruelty – whether that’s through donations or helping to report incidents.

Jo added: “To help rescue animals from these situations we rely on the public to be our eyes and ears and report any concerns about animal abuse to us and we are grateful that so many people do and are more aware of the problem.

“We’re also finding that CCTV footage, doorbell cameras and smartphones are providing a view into society that we never had before, meaning that animal beatings are more likely to be caught on camera in supermarket car parks, on streets, in lifts, and even behind closed doors in the home.

“This could also account for the rise that we are seeing as they are more likely to be caught on camera, uploaded to social media or reported to us.”