THE RSPCA says animal beatings are sadly on the rise across England and Wales with one report of animal abuse made every 15 minutes.

In Wales there has been a huge 100 per cent rise in reports of beatings during the summer months from 2020 to 2024 (121 vs 242) and 885 reports in total across the four years.

In Ceredigion, there were four reports in 2024, compared to two in 2023.

Carmarthenshire saw 13 reported cases in 2024; Gwynedd, nine and Powys, eight.

Year on year the number of beating reports has risen by 10 nationwide and the charity is braced for this to continue to climb this summer.

Ian Briggs, Head of Special Operations Unit (SOU) at the RSPCA, said: “These are really distressing and stark figures. One report of an animal being beaten every half an hour is a horrible thought, but sadly this is the reality in summer when our cruelty line receives a beating report every 30 minutes. It isn’t clear why there has been such a dramatic increase in abuse against animals, but what is clear is that animals are suffering at the hands of people on a much bigger scale than many people realise.

“This is why our Summer Cruelty Campaign is so important to highlight that for thousands of animals, summer is a season of pain and suffering when cruelty peaks. As the RSPCA braces to help tackle animal cruelty, we need your help now more than ever to continue to rescue animals in desperate need of care.”

Ian added: “We’re finding that CCTV footage, doorbell cameras and smartphones are providing a view into society that we never had before, meaning that animal beatings are more likely to be caught on camera in supermarket car parks, on streets, in lifts, and even behind closed doors in the home - giving us the evidence we need to be able to seek justice for animals like Bella.

“This could account for the rise that we are seeing as these awful abusers are more likely to be caught on camera, uploaded to social media or reported directly to us.”

Sadly, dogs were the most likely pet to be beaten with nearly 21,000 dog beating reports made to the charity last year alone with bulldog breeds the most likely to be abused (6,670 reports from 2022-2024) and Staffies (4,786) compared to just 22 reports for Old English Sheepdogs or 58 for West Highland Terriers.

Support the RSPCA’s Summer Cruelty Appeal at: rspca.org.uk/endcruelty