Figures show more than 1,900 incidents of intentional harm to animals in Derbyshire over past five years

There have been 1,943 reports of intentional animal cruelty in Derbyshire since 2016, according to the RSPCA

The animal protection charity released the figures today as part of its ‘Cancel Out Cruelty’ campaign, to help keep its rescue teams out on the frontline saving animals and to stamp out cruelty for good.

July is a particularly busy time for investigating cruelty, with the RSPCA dealing with a spike in intentional cruelty as 1,532 incidents were called through to their emergency helpline last year – and the charity is expecting a similar spike this month.

Dermot Murphy, head of RSPCA animal rescue teams, said: “We always sadly see a rise in cruelty during the summer months.

“Unfortunately, the hot summer days can lead to more people drinking alcohol in the sun which can be a factor in causing violence. There could also be boredom during the long holidays and more pressures at home - when the whole family is on holiday from school and work, existing difficulties in the home can be magnified.

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"During these hot months, calls to our cruelty line rise, putting more pressure on our already stretched frontline rescue teams.

“Police forces reported a rise in domestic violence last year during lockdown and we are concerned that similar pressures which led to this rise may also have impacted on more cruelty to animals behind closed doors during the pandemic.

“The past year has seen a reportedly huge rise in pet ownership and we know most people would not dream of harming an animal. However, we are concerned that, as we come out of lockdown and people return to their jobs outside the home or suffer financial pressures, we will see more animals suffer if their owners find themselves unable to cope.

“We are urging people in Derbyshire to support our campaign to Cancel Out Cruelty so we can all work together to end cruelty towards animals.”

Beatings, knife crime, drowning and intentional killing are just some of the horrific incidents RSPCA animal rescuers deal with every day.

Anyone who wants to report animal cruelty should call the RSPCA hotline on 0300 1234 999.