Busy festive period for charity despite abandonments at lowest in five years.
The RSPCA has rescued hundreds of animals, from guinea pigs to a ferret, which were abandoned during the festive period.
Officers at Britain’s biggest animal charity were on duty throughout Christmas and the New Year when they were called upon to rescue animals that also included chinchillas, cats and dogs.
A total of 211 abandoned animals were rescued by the RSPCA in the two weeks between Christmas Eve and Wednesday 7 January. However, this was down by nearly 50% compared to the 419 animals rescued during the same period in 2010/11.
Chief inspector Dermot Murphy said he was pleased to see the number of abandonments fall by such a significant amount.
He said: “A drop in abandonments is an encouraging sign and hopefully it shows that pet owners across England and Wales are taking more responsibility for their animals, even when times might be tough or circumstances change.
“We have been persisting with the message that abandoning animals is not acceptable for many years, so it is heartening to see that it seems to be sinking in even though we still rescued more than 11,000 abandoned animals in total during 2014.
“The festive fortnight has still proven to be a busy time. Our teams on the frontline have been working day and night to help injured, trapped and neglected animals and will continue to do so throughout the coming year.
“Hopefully those animals that needed our help in recent weeks will enjoy a more settled Christmas next time around.”
Among the abandoned animals rescued by the RSPCA was Bruno (above), a young American bulldog who was shivering, emaciated and hardly able to stand when he was found dumped in a field in Hyde on 27 December. He’s now being cared for by staff at a veterinary surgery while the RSPCA investigates.
Tabby tomcat Marvin was cold, frightened and sitting in two inches of rainwater when he was discovered, abandoned at the gates of the RSPCA’s Cornwall branch animal centre, near St Columb, on 2 January.
In Maidstone a ferret (below) was left in a bin bag in a Christian bookshop in Brewer Street on December 30. Fortunately the animal was in good health and has been taken into RSPCA care until a permanent home can be found.
On January 3, two chinchillas were found abandoned in a filthy cage on the corner of a road in Drawbridge Close in Maidstone. They have also been taken into RSPCA care and it is hoped they can find a new home.
An RSPCA animal collection officer was called out to Hurn, in Dorset, on 6 January when a walker found two abandoned male guinea pigs in some woods. The pair are now in the RSPCA’s care.
The overall number of abandoned animals rescued by the RSPCA in 2014 fell slightly compared to 2013 - down to 11,187 from 11,672.
“There is no such thing as a quiet time of year for us though and rescuing abandoned animals is only one part of an RSPCA officer’s job.
“We expect 2015 to be as busy as ever and remain committed to helping those animals that rely on the RSPCA,” added chief inspector Murphy.
As a charity we rely on public donations to exist. To assist our inspectors in carrying out their vital work please text HELP to 78866 to give £3 (texts cost £3 + one standard network rate message).