Animal beatings are sadly on the rise across England and Wales with one report of animal abuse made every 15 minutes the call line is open according to new figures released by the RSPCA.
The charity is highlighting these stark figures as part of its Summer Cruelty Campaign. Instead of a time of sunshine and fun, for many animals, summer is when cruelty peaks.
In Wales there has been a huge 100% rise in reports of beatings during the summer months from 2020 to 2024 (121 vs 242) and 885 reports in total across the four years. In 2024 the highest counties for beating reports were Cardiff (29), Rhondda Cynon Taf (25) and Swansea (18). More figures below.
Across England and Wales, there has been a 105% rise in reports of beatings in summer over the last four years (1,613 for July/August 2020 to 3,304 in July/August 2024) with four beatings reported every hour or one every 15 minutes the call line is open.
Year on year the number of beating reports has risen by 10% and the charity is braced for this to continue to climb this summer.
Ian Briggs, Head of Special Operations Unit (SOU) at the RSPCA, said: “These are really distressing and stark figures. One report of an animal being beaten every half an hour is a horrible thought, but sadly this is the reality in summer when our cruelty line receives a beating report every 30 minutes. It isn’t clear why there has been such a dramatic increase in abuse against animals, but what is clear is that animals are suffering at the hands of people on a much bigger scale than many people realise.
“This is why our Summer Cruelty Campaign is so important to highlight that for thousands of animals, summer is a season of pain and suffering when cruelty peaks. As the RSPCA braces to help tackle animal cruelty, we need your help now more than ever to continue to rescue animals in desperate need of care.”