RSPCA warns of animal abandonment surge

In September, a hamster was found abandoned in a cage near some bins in Slough

The RSPCA is warning of a surge in animal abandonment as winter approaches, with cases rising sharply in parts of the south.

In Dorset, reports are up by 18.4% this year, with 187 incidents logged by the end of October compared to 158 last year.

Berkshire had seen 147 cases by the end of October, similar to the whole last year's figure, but still part of a growing national trend.

Across England and Wales, 24,270 abandonment incidents have been reported so far in 2025 up almost 23% on the same period last year.

In August a hamster was found dumped in a cage near bins in Slough. The animal, named Nibbles, has since been rehomed.

In Dorset, a dog called Honey who was abandoned in a squalid property, was successfully adopted after months of care.

Last winter alone saw nearly 6,000 cases nationwide, including 34 in Berkshire and 53 in Dorset, and the RSPCA fears this winter could be the worst in at least six years.

RSPCA superintendent Simon Osborne says "times are tough" and "animals are paying the price".

He described it as "an epidemic of animal abandonment and neglect".

The RSPCA says economic pressures and the cost-of-living crisis are driving the rise in cases, and it has launched an urgent appeal, The Big Give Back to Animals, to raise funds for frontline officers.

Honey in Dorset has been adopted after months in care