August 31, 2022 11.34 am This story is over 25 months old

Almost 900 reports of abandoned animals in Lincolnshire last year

Lurcher Nyah was left for dead in a Lincolnshire field

Thankfully, Nyah was picked up by a local eyewitness | Photo: RSPCA

Nearly 900 cases of abandoned animals were reported to the RSPCA in Lincolnshire last year, the charity has revealed.

Some 872 reports were made in 2021 and 577 have been made so far this year (January to July 2022).

Of those stranded in Lincolnshire was Nyah, an underweight lurcher left for dead by hare coursers.

She was cruelly abandoned near Scunthorpe after she collapsed through exhaustion. Nyah had been under control of a group of men pursuing the illegal blood sport in the area.

The men drove off and left her for dead in a field, where she was picked up by a local resident who was watching from afar.

A total of 38,087 abandonment reports were made to the charity’s cruelty line last year – an average of over 3,000 reports a month, four abandoned animals every hour.

The number of animals being dumped is also on the rise nationally with a 17% increase from 2020 to 2021 and a 24% increase in 2022.

The charity fears that a huge rise in pet ownership during the pandemic coupled with the cost of living crisis putting a strain on people’s finances means even more animals are being given up this year.

Dermot Murphy, Chief Inspectorate Officer at the RSPCA, said: “The idea of putting your cat in a cat carrier and taking them to a secluded spot in the woods before walking away, or chucking your dog out of the car and driving off leaving them desperately running behind the vehicle, is absolutely unthinkable and heartbreaking to most pet owners – but sadly we are seeing animals callously abandoned like this every single day.

“We understand that sometimes the unexpected can happen – the pandemic and cost of living crisis proved that – but there is never an excuse to abandon an animal. There are always other options for anyone who has fallen on hard times and can no longer afford to keep their pet.”

The RSPCA received 1,081,018 calls to its Cruelty Line in 2021 and these included reports of;

  • 1,094 killings or nearly three animals killed a day
  • 632 mutilations or 12 animals brutally mutilated every week
  • 7,857 beatings which equates to nearly one animal beaten every hour