‘Distressing’ 163% rise in animal beatings in Bedfordshire
The number of animal beatings reported to the RSPCA has risen sharply over the summer months.
In Bedfordshire, there has been a 163 per cent rise in reports of beatings between 2020 and 2024, from 19 to 50, with a total of 160 reports.
These figures come as part of its Summer Cruelty Campaign, highlighting that for thousands of animals, summer is not always a happy season.
Year on year, the number of beating reports has risen by 10 per cent across England and Wales, and the charity is braced for this to continue to climb this summer.
Ian Briggs, Head of Special Operations Unit 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.”
The use of doorbell cameras, CCTV footage, and smartphones is giving the charity a view into animal beatings like never before - meaning animal crimes are more likely to be caught on cameras - even if done behind closed doors.
Dogs were the most likely pet to be beaten, with nearly 21,000 dog beating reports made to the charity last year alone.