Deliberate acts of animal cruelty have jumped in Victoria over the past 12 months, with the mounting pressure of COVID-19 lockdowns cited as one of the reasons.
RSPCA Victoria has reviewed cruelty reports to its inspectorate over the 2020/21 financial year and found concerns of animals being beaten, wounded or abused rose by 13.8 per cent.
Some 10,745 cruelty reports were responded to by inspectors and 1575 animals cared for after being seized or surrendered, up six per cent on the previous year.
RSPCA Victoria's chief inspector Michael Stagg was concerned about the correlation between lockdowns and the increase in reports of animal beating and wounding.
"COVID has created a significant amount of pressure on people," he said in a statement on Thursday.
"When there is financial stress, mental health or drug and alcohol issues, animal cruelty and neglect tends to increase. It is also possible that reports have increased due to people being at home for longer periods."
A 41-year-old man was charged last week after being filmed kicking a dog in last month's violent protest outside the CFMEU's headquarters in Melbourne.
Nine eight-week-old puppies were also found dumped in a box on a Melbourne riverbank earlier this week and taken to the Lost Dogs' Home, although the RSPCA says instances of abandoned animals fell in 2020/21.
So too did instances of animals going without food, water or shelter, but they still make up about half of all reports.
Mr Stagg said it demonstrated animal neglect was still their number one problem.
"With the high number of people adopting or taking on pets during COVID, it's vital that people understand how to look after their pet and what good welfare looks like," he said.
Owners are urged to contact the RSPCA for help to prevent welfare issues before it's too late and they get the call.
REPORTED OFFENCES
(Many reports include multiple allegations involving multiple animals)
* 5520 instances of animals with insufficient food, water or shelter, down from 6044
* 4149 concerns about hygiene, grooming and housing conditions, up from 3887
* 2636 reports of underweight animals, down from 2862
* 2565 sick and injured animals not receiving veterinary treatment, down from 2559
* 1702 concerns about animals being beaten, wounded or abused, up from 1467
* 1163 instances of abandoned animals, down from 1172
ANIMALS MOST COMMONLY REPORTED
* 6800 involving dogs and puppies
* 1916 involving cats and kittens
* 1183 involving horses
Australian Associated Press
