Over 1,000 incidents of animal neglect reported in Essex in 2024
The RSPCA have released new figures showing Essex is in the top ten areas in England for neglect cases
1204 neglect incidents reported in Essex in first nine months of 2024 ranking it in the top ten areas in England.
It's also an 11% increase from the same period the previous year.
The RSPCA has seen an almost 25% increase in animal neglect reports during the first nine months of this year and fears the problem is about to get worse as more pet owners face financial hardship at Christmas.
The animal welfare charity said that between January and September 2024 its emergency cruelty line recorded 48,814 incidents of neglect, up from 38,977 for the same period in 2023 - a worrying 25% year-on-year increase.
During this period the emergency line has been open 3, 276 hours, meaning it has taken an average of 15 reported incidents of neglect every single hour - or approximately one every 4 minutes.
The neglect figures have been released after the charity announced last month that 20,999 abandonment reports were made to its emergency line in 2023, compared to 16,118 in 2020 - a rise of 30% in just three years.
RSPCA Superintendent Jo Hirst said: “The large 25% increase in the number of pet neglect calls we are taking is a major concern during our busy winter period when many people are facing more financial difficulties, and we fear this upsetting trend will continue.
One call every four minutes is a frightening statistic.
Coupled with this we have also seen a startling increase in abandonment cases up 30% in just three years.
Sadly we expect the crisis to worsen as more people tend to struggle with increased costs around Christmas time with presents to buy and extra food shopping - along with energy bills.
But we can make a difference, which is why we are asking the public to support our appeal, and help our rescuers, veterinary teams, branches and centre staff, who work tirelessly to give animals the urgent treatment and love that will save their lives.”
In a case of neglect in Essex, Roxy a Dogue de Bordeaux was ‘painfully skinny’ when she was found huddled under a hedge in a garden in Boxted, having been abandoned in April.
The three-year-old was rescued by local residents who took her to a vet who contacted the RSPCA due to her neglected state.
She weighed just 29kg (64lb), when a healthy female Dogue de Bordeaux should weigh up to 54kg (120lb) more than that.
RSPCA Inspector Nicky Thorne, who launched an investigation, said: “Roxy was painfully skinny; you can see all of her bones and every single rib. She’s just skin and bone.”
She was taken in by a local rescue centre and rehomed.
Another dog rescued from neglect by the charity before having her life transformed is Mabel (pictured).
Staffie cross Mabel was taken to a veterinary surgery in Surrey just a few weeks before Christmas emaciated and starved.
She was so weak and dehydrated she was unable to stand unaided and her ribs and spine were protruding from her body.
Her owner said she had been refusing to eat for a few days but when offered food by the vet she devoured it.
The vet could also see no medical reasons for her not to be eating and concerned she had been neglected for at least a month, they reported the matter to the RSPCA.
RSPCA inspector Leanna Hone, who investigated her case, said: “She was completely emaciated and malnourished, unable to stand unaided, and incredibly weak.
She had such a sad look on her face and these big, beautiful brown eyes which stared into your soul - my heart broke for her and what she’d been through.”
Mabel spent ten days in hospital after the incident in 2021 before time in a foster home to help her recovery and was then moved to the RSPCA’s Millbrook Animal Centre in Surrey, where she found her forever home.
Now aged six, Mabel is loving life with her new owners in Camberley, and is looking forward to a Christmas enjoying long walks and new toys.
Her previous owners were prosecuted by the RSPCA.