Sorry tale of animal abandonments as credit crunch starts to bite. Recession puts RSPCA under pressure on two fronts.
The animal welfare charity dealt with 11,586 dumped animals in total, a shocking average of more than 30 animals abandoned every day of the year. And the trend seems set to continue as figures from the first two months of 2009 show a further 1,432 animals abandoned.
The RSPCA is facing pressure as the Society tries to cope with the increase in workload caused in part by the recession. People are finding that with job losses and the threat of eviction on the rise, their animals are low on the list of priorities.
RSPCA Chief Inspector Rosie Russon who covers the Essex area said “It is an offence to abandon any animal and there is never any excuse for doing so. If people have pets they cannot care for, for any reason, then help and advice is always available from the RSPCA. We have had cases of people dumping cats and kittens in zipped up holdalls and cardboard boxes as well as people turning their animals out onto the street when they move or are evicted.”
“We know things are going to get tougher. The RSPCA already works collaboratively with countless other animal charities and groups – this may well increase even further as we all work together to combat the current downturn.”
The economic downturn is also expected to reduce income to the RSPCA from legacies, and donations to the charity, so the RSPCA is going to have consider cutting jobs.
The charity is asking the public to continue digging deep in their pockets and help raise funds for the thousands of animals the charity rehabilitates and rehomes – many of which are now coming into RSPCA care as the latest victims of the credit crunch.
“Now more than ever we need the public’s support,” says Tim Wass, chief officer of the RSPCA inspectorate. “It is a challenging time for the RSPCA, but more importantly it is a crisis out there for the animals, and it’s only because of the public’s help that we’re able to do what we can.”
If you need to contact the RSPCA please call 0300 1234 999 or visit www.rspca.org.uk
