News / Animals
Animal cruelty “like something out of a horror film”
*Warning: Images in the article may be distressing to some readers.
Details of ‘a shocking catalogue of cruelty’ to animals have been released by the RSPCA as it reports a five per cent annual rise in cases across the South West.
“Like something out of a horror film,” was how one inspector described the harrowing sight of a dog who was found dirty, emaciated and suffering from a severe, untreated tumour before being rushed straight to the charity’s clinic in Bristol.
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The West Highland terrier, Max, was just one of 27,019 animal cruelty cases across the region in 2016, equating to 74 new cases every day.
He made a full recovery and has since been re-homed in Whitchurch with new owner Lorraine Bubb, who said it was heart-breaking to think about what he had been through.
Lorraine added: “Max has been a priceless friend and companion, we’ve helped each other really as I’ve recently lost my husband. He even has a special smile he does which is lovely to see after the misery he experienced.”
Other victims of cruelty were not so lucky and case details released by the RSPCA include that of a Staffordshire bull terrier whose decomposed body was eventually found in a Bristol property after neighbours alerted authorities about a smell and fly infestation coming from the flat.
“Who knows how long it took this poor dog to die alone in that flat,” said RSPCA inspector Miranda Albinson.
“We can’t know whether it was starvation or dehydration which finally caused his death, but it is clear he would have suffered.
“I found him curled up in his owner’s clothes on the bed. He must have gone there for comfort. It was a haunting sight – one of the saddest things I have ever seen. His suffering was just so unnecessary. No one else had keys and no one knew he was there.
“Simply just sharing this information with a reliable person would have saved his life and saved the lonely, prolonged death that we can only suppose he had.”
The dog’s owner was sent to prison and disqualified from keeping animals for life.
The RSPCA’s leading inspector believes the surge in calls to the animal welfare charity is down to the public becoming more aware and less tolerant of animal cruelty and neglect, rather than a sign that people are becoming crueller.
Dermot Murphy, Assistant Director of the RSPCA Inspectorate, said: “People are increasingly likely to share images or footage on their social media accounts of animals they believe are not being cared for properly, while many will see material their friends have shared and then contact us about them.”
The number of complaints in Bristol itself were down by a marginal three per cent, with 1024 cases in 2016 compared to 1066 cases in 2015.
Despite the rise in complaints overall, convictions for animal cruelty offences in the South West were down from 104 in 2015 to 93 in 2016.
Nationally, the RSPCA reported a rise in the number of owners who were offered and accepted welfare improvement advice and notices – up to 84,725, compared with 81,475 in 2015.
Read more: Bristol cat cafe slammed by animal welfare charities
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