RSPCA issues warning after record spike in animal cruelty cases
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT
The RSPCA has revealed a new contributing factor to the rise in domestic animal abuse.
"The information we get from our inspectors is that the cost of living is really hurting people at the moment and hurting people's ability to be able to care for their animals."
"Whether that’s being able to buy them food, taking them to the vet, grooming," Chief Inspector Michael Stagg at RSPCA Victoria told Yahoo News.
In Victoria, the number of animals being seized or surrendered has unfortunately doubled from 1,035 in 2017-2018, to 2,172 in 2021-2022. The second quarter of 2022-2023 also saw the highest number of rescues for any quarter at 695.
46 per cent of the cases in 2021-2022 were due to neglect, which is more common in summer.
"Coming out of summer, some of the most common things that we would see would be animals not having adequate water or adequate shelter," said Stagg.
"The number of reports we see is always higher in the summer months than in the winter because it gets hot and sometimes owners don’t realise that animals need more water and shelter during those hotter months."
To those considering adopting a pet, the Chief Inspector recommends a visit to an RSPCA shelter.
"To actually have an animal that has suffered from trauma and neglect and be able to give that animal a happy forever home is a great thing,” he said.
Images: RSPCA