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25
Nov
RSPCA releases ‘shocking figures’ on animal abandonment in North Yorkshire
The RSPCA has released new figures showing a 39% increase in the number of animals being abandoned in North Yorkshire.
The number of abandonment reports to the animal welfare charity in the county was 439 in 2023, up from 316 in 2021.
North Yorkshire’s increase is one of the highest in the country.
The RSPCA released the statistics as part of its Join The Christmas Rescue campaign.
It highlighted the cases of Shaun, Dougal and Wendy, three terrier cross type dogs who were abandoned in a crate in a field near York in September.
They were spotted by a member of the public and taken to a local vet, before being transferred to the RSPCA’s York, Harrogate & District branch centre in York.
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The dogs were in such an appalling condition that at first it was difficult to tell what breed they were. It took staff from the centre several hours to bathe and clip them.
The RSPCA believes the surge in pet ownership during the covid lockdown and rising living costs have led to the increase in people dumping their pets.
RSPCA chief inspector Ian Briggs said:
We are seeing a shocking rise in the number of calls reporting pet abandonment to our emergency line during winter. Sadly, we expect the trend will continue as more pet owners face financial hardship at this time of year more than any other.
Our rescuers are regularly coming across dogs in poor health, collapsed and left in isolated spots to suffer a lingering death; sick kittens discarded in cardboard boxes who are lucky to be found alive; or pet rabbits dumped in the wild with little chance of survival against predators.
Heartbreakingly, we are seeing many pets left in their own filth - with no food or water, no-one to care for them and no idea if anyone will come to help them.
You can support the RSPCA's winter appeal here.
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