Region shamed by animal cruelty

A DRAMATIC rise in animal cruelty cases has seen West Yorkshire named among the worst blackspots in the country as the economic crisis has led to an escalating number of offences.
The surviving llamasThe surviving llamas
The surviving llamas

The RSPCA has published the latest annual statistics which have revealed convictions for animal neglect and cruelty rose by nearly 34 per cent nationally in just 12 months.

Inspectors from the animal welfare charity told the Yorkshire Post the surge in convictions had been blamed partly on the ongoing economic slump which has left financially-stricken households unable to pay for veterinary fees and the upkeep of their pets.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

West Yorkshire witnessed the largest number of people being convicted in the North of England with 126 offenders in 2012 compared with 82 in the previous 12 months.

One of the most unusual cases happened across the county border in North Yorkshire, which led to five llamas dying when a man neglected a herd of the animals following a split from his wife.

RSPCA chief inspector Heidi Jenner, who has been working in West Yorkshire for the last 22 years, admitted the charity’s resources are coming under intense pressure as donations also dry up amid the financial crisis.

She added: “People often do not realise just how expensive a pet can prove to be, especially when something goes wrong as veterinary fees can be very expensive.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“While every case is different and has to be treated as such, we do believe that the recession is having a significant effect on the rising number of cruelty cases.

“This comes at a time when our own resources are already stretched to breaking point, and we are suffering financially as donations have reduced significantly.”

The RSPCA’s figures have shown there has been a 33.8 per cent increase in the number of convictions nationally from 3,114 in 2011 to 4,168 last year.

The charity stressed that individual defendants can receive more than one conviction although there was still a 15.7 per cent increase in the number of offenders who were convicted, rising from 1,341 in 2011 to 1,552 in 2012.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

One of the most worrying trends has been the rising number of convictions relating to cruelty to horses and ponies, increasing from 230 in 2011 to 500 in 2012. The RSPCA has claimed the 117 per cent increase is partly due to the expensive cost of equine vets, who have to travel to treat animals.

The RSPCA’s chief executive Gavin Grant maintained that prosecution is used as a “last resort”.

The charity’s inspectors investigated 150,833 suspected cruelty cases and issued 78,090 advice notices last year – which Mr Grant claimed had proved to be “extremely effective in improving the care of animals”.

“However if there is evidence of a crime and serious animal abuse then we will take legal action to protect the animals and prevent further abuse,” he added. “We also want to see judges taking these offences far more seriously.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The case involving the llamas in North Yorkshire led to a 41-year-old man from Knaresborough admitting one charge of causing unnecessary suffering and two counts of failing to meet the needs of the animals.

Harrogate magistrates heard he had endured a marriage break-up and could not afford to provide enough food for the animals when they were discovered by a RSPCA inspector in February last year.

He was banned from keeping any animals for 10 years. He was also sentenced to a 12-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months, 200 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £3,050.40 within three months.

The surviving llamas have all been rehomed to a specialist llama keeper where they have flourished, according to the RSPCA.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The charity’s annual prosecution report which is published today has also revealed that there has been a 264.9 per cent rise in the number of convictions nationally relating to small mammals, including rabbits and hamsters, with an increase from 97 in 2011 to 354 in 2012.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA claimed that the dramatic rise was due in part to several cases which each involved a large number of convictions.

The report has shown that there was a rise in the number of people convicted of animal cruelty in East Yorkshire, with 68 in 2012 compared with 60 in 2011.

But North Yorkshire bucked the national trend and saw a fall in the number of people convicted from 72 in 2011 to 62 in 2012, as did South Yorkshire – down from 41 in 2011 to 37 last year.