Report shows animal cruelty rise

An RSPCA behavioural trainer cuddles two rescued dogs Credit: PA Images

Convictions for animal neglect and cruelty rose by nearly 34 per cent in 2012, according to a new report by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

The RSPCA Prosecutions Annual Report also shows there was a 15.7 per cent increase in the number of defendants convicted last year in England and Wales. Animals rescued or collected by the RSPCA increased from 119,126 to 130,695, a 9.7 per cent rise (plus the rescue of 64,000 farmed chickens from one flooded barn).

The report shows that most places saw a rise in the number of convictions from 2011 to 2012.For the Meridian region, the numbers were:

Berkshire: 8 convictions for 2012

Buckinghamshire: 17 convictions for 2012

Dorset: a rise from 17 to 20

Essex: a rise from 24 to 32

East Sussex: a rise from 7 to 17

West Sussex: a fall from 17 to 8

Hampshire: a rise from 29 to 34

Isle of Wight: 0 to 0

Kent: a rise from 49 to 62

Oxfordshire: a rise from 9 to 18

Wiltshire: 18 convictions for 2012

The report can be read online and shows a catalogue of deliberate cruelty and neglect - some of the worst cases ever seen by RSPCA inspectors.