RSPCA: Record number of animals abandoned in 2021

Animal welfare charity the RSPCA has revealed that it received more than 100 reports of abandoned animals every day in 2021 and sadly these numbers are set to rise this year. A total of 38,087 reports of abandoned animals were received by the charity's cruelty hotline last year - that's an average of over 3,000 reports per month, 104 per day or four abandoned animals per hour. Alarmingly, the number of abandoned animals is also on the rise, increasing by 17 per cent from 2020 to 2021 and by 24 per cent in 2022. The charity fears that a huge increase in pet ownership during the pandemic, combined with the cost-of-living crisis straining people's finances, will lead to even more animals being surrendered this year. Please note the minimum fee of 15 euros.