RSPCA braced for 'animal welfare crisis'

The RSPCA has said it is braced for an animal welfare crisis this summer after reporting a jump in cruelty in the first half of 2024.

The charity said it got 44,800 reports of cruelty across England and Wales between January and the end of June - up by nearly 1,000 compared to the same period last year.

In January, two Hampshire brothers who filmed themselves as they tortured animals in “sickening” attacks were jailed.

In footage not seen publicly before, Kristen Cooper, then 24, was seen laughing about inflicting pain on a deer during a police interview.

He was subsequently jailed for five years, while Todd Cooper, 29, got three years and eight months at Southampton Crown Court.

An expert described videos of the Coopers’ abuse as among the worst cases he had seen in 24 years.

Todd Cooper (left) and Kristen Cooper held down a deer and struck it, police said

Footage showed three men pulling a deer by its antlers

The RSPCA said it got 3,512 reports of animal cruelty in London, 2,229 in the West Midlands, 2,223 in West Yorkshire and 2,165 in Greater Manchester.

In the south during the same period, there were 1,078 reports in Hampshire, 515 in Dorset, 393 in Berkshire and 368 in Oxfordshire.

About 50 hares, a barn owl and a kestrel were dumped outside a shop in Hampshire in March.

Pictures taken by shop staff showed the hares' bodies in front of the Broughton Community Shop - the latest in a series of similar incidents in the county.

In Dorset, a 10-month old cat, Aura, was put to sleep after she was shot with an air weapon.

A pellet was removed from her after she was injured in Lytchett Matravers, near Poole, in February.

Aura was put to sleep after being attacked with an air weapon

The RSPCA's No Animal Deserves Cruelty appeal seeks to cut down on a typically seasonal rise in attacks.

Karen Colman, who leads its welfare oversight team, said: “Reports of intentional harm towards animals and beatings rose sharply across the country last summer - so we’re preparing for a difficult period ahead.

“But rescuing animals from cruelty, investigating harm caused to them, and acting to prevent animal abuse, is a job no other charity does. We’ll always be here to pick up the pieces and show those animals the kindness and care they deserve.”

The charity appealed for information after a dead dog was discovered on a footpath tied to a plastic bag in Oxfordshire in September 2023.

It said the rottweiler's body was found near Keens Lane in Chinnor, with the bag thought to have been used to drag him along the track.

He also had calluses on his elbows, something commonly seen in dogs who live outside.

Criminologist Dr Michelle Newberry, an associate professor at the University of Southampton, investigates offenders' motivations for animal cruelty.

"We know from quite a lot of psychological research that animal cruelty is linked to certain personality traits," she said.

"Sadly we know some offenders derive sadistic pleasure from abusing animals

"We also know animal cruelty is linked to other traits such as narcissism, impulsivity and sensation-seeking."

She said many of the offenders were "prone to boredom" and so effective deterrents involved "redirecting them to more pro-social behaviours".

Dr Newberry added other research had shown witnesses of domestic violence earlier in their lives were also more likely to offend.