Hundreds of animal cruelty calls in Nottinghamshire over three years

The RSPCA said it is a ‘sad reality’ that the charity deals with animal cruelty on a daily basis.

The figures come in the wake of the high-profile case of West Ham United footballer Kurt Zouma, who was prosecuted after a video of him kicking his cat went viral on social media.

In June, Zouma was sentenced to 180 hours of community service and was banned from owning a cat for five years after admitting two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

RSPCA figures show there were 203 calls to its helpline for reporting intentional harm to an animal in Nottinghamshire last year, down from 244 in 2020.

There were 353 calls over deliberate cruelty in 2019, meaning there have been a total of 800 in the last three years alone.

Intentional harm incidents involve attempted or improper killings, beatings, poisonings, mutilations and injuries or deaths in suspicious circumstances.

Across England, 35,379 calls were made reporting intentional harm over the last three years.

Dermot Murphy, RSPCA chief inspectorate officer, said: "It is a sad reality we deal with animal cruelty every day.

“We are a nation of animal lovers, but received more than 11,000 complaints of intentional harm through our helpline last year.”

Mr Murphy highlighted the rise in intentional harm calls during summer – nationally, more calls were taken between July and September than any other three-month period last year.

August was the busiest month for the RSPCA nationally, with 1,041 calls, up 10 per cent on August 2020.

In 2021, July had the highest number of reports in Nottinghamshire, though calls between July and September fell from 73 to 63 year-on-year.

The RSPCA is concerned the rise in pet ownership during the coronavirus pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis could lead to a rise in animal cruelty.

The charity received more than a million calls reporting cruelty in 2021, with more than 1,000 killings and almost 8,000 beatings reported.

Meanwhile, more than 38,000 animal abandonments were recorded last year.

Mr Murphy said: “These figures are shocking and show why we need your help to save those animals who need us the most now more than ever.”