Kent named by the RSPCA as the county with the highest reports of animal attacks
Kent has been named by the RSPCA as the county reporting the highest number of animal attacks in England.
The animal charity has released data on the lethal weapons used to target and kill animals including crossbows, air guns, catapults and slingshots.
Since the beginning of 2020 (up to May 2023), the RSPCA received 808 reports relating to animals being intentionally harmed with a weapon in England and Wales.
Air guns and rifles were responsible for most of the incidents, with 658 reports made to the charity.
Weapons such as catapults and slingshots accounted for a combined 124 incidents while there were 34 calls to the RSPCA about crossbow incidents.
Many incidents reported to the charity involve more than one animal being targeted at a time.
Top county hotspots calling the RSPCA to report incidents of animals attacked with weapons were Kent (56 reports), Greater London (47), Merseyside (35) and jointly West Yorkshire (30), Nottinghamshire (30) and West Midlands (30).
RSPCA national wildlife coordinator Geoff Edmond said: “It is unspeakably cruel, totally unacceptable and illegal to shoot animals for ‘fun’ - or as target practice, but sadly our emergency line is receiving hundreds of reports.
“We think of ourselves as a nation of animal lovers, but the RSPCA’s experience shows that there are people out there who are deliberately targeting wildlife, pets and farm animals with guns, catapults and crossbows. These weapons cause horrific pain and suffering.
“Day after day, our frontline officers and animal centres see the sickening consequences of weapons being used on animals - severe injuries often leading to death.
"And what we deal with is probably only the tip of the iceberg as not all cases will be reported to the RSPCA directly and there may be situations where animals injured and killed by these weapons are sadly never found - especially in the case of wildlife.
"This is why we need our supporters to back our Cancel Out Cruelty campaign so we can tackle this horrific trend.”
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