RSPCA

Charity launches new Christmas campaign - Join the Christmas Rescue - as it reveals it took in more than 7000 animals last winter and received more than 2000 calls about cruelty and neglect a day

The RSPCA is bracing itself for the toughest Christmas yet as the charity fears the financial strain from the Coronavirus pandemic could mean a rise in pets being abandoned and neglected.

Last Christmas Day, the charity received more than 950 calls, the highest number since 2013 and it received 63,000 calls throughout December, or 2,000 a day, making it the busiest Christmas...

A heifer who fell into a river and was washed downstream was saved after a two-hour rescue mission.

RSPCA animal welfare officer Steve Donohue rushed to the fields off Pennsylvania Road in Exeter on Tuesday night (18 August).

He said: “The heifer had fallen into the river and been washed downstream along the River Exe tributary.

“Debris from the storm had pinned her against the bank so she was struggling to get out and couldn’t keep her head above the 6ft-deep water.”

Steve met the caller at the scene and located the Friesan heifer. Due to the fast-...

The RSPCA is bracing itself for a surge in abandoned animals and fears the fallout from the Covid crisis could see more owners struggling to keep their pets.

Typically, the charity sees abandonment peak in the summer months. Between June and August 2019, 16,519 animals were reported abandoned to the RSPCA which accounts for 30% of all animals reported abandoned that year.

During the summer months the charity received 282 reports about dumped animals in Devon.

This included a poorly rabbit who was abandoned on a roadside in Brixham last summer. Found in July (...

With spring in the air as well as signs of new life from the natural world, the RSPCA is seeing an influx in fox cubs coming into its care up and down the country.

Animal welfare officer (AWO) Nicola Thomas was called earlier this week to collect a lone fox cub that was found in a garden in Leyton, east London. When she arrived to collect the cub, she could also hear his siblings calling from the garden next door.

Nicola said: “The neighbours kindly let me take a look and sure enough there were two more cubs, who were also very hungry and crying. I popped all three cubs...

RSPCA Millbrook Animal Centre in Chobham received a call from a member of the public who had seen the cat straying in Shere, Guildford, on Tuesday (January 21).

Fortunately she was able to catch the cat, who appeared friendly, and brought her into the centre that same day.

After scanning the black female cat for a microchip staff there found an email address for an owner and realised she must be a missing pet.

Ysella Sims, who now lives 162 miles away in Exeter, was shocked when by chance she was checking an old email address just days later and saw the message....

An RSPCA officer was called in to help a collapsed fox that turned out to be taxidermy.

Inspector Ellie Burt went to Farm Hill, Exeter, in Devon, on Monday (8 April) after a local resident grew concerned for a fox that had been hiding under a bush in the area.

She said: “The fox was described as lethargic and collapsed in the undergrowth. The caller said it had been losing weight in recent weeks and hadn’t moved for the past few days.

“We asked them to try the broom test - to ensure the fox was still alive - and were told that it didn’t move but tracked them with...

An RSPCA inspector is set to trek to Everest Base Camp to raise funds for animals in need.

Marije Zwager, an inspector based in Exeter, will be taking part in the trek this September with a group of like-minded animal lovers to raise much-needed funds for the RSPCA.

Everyday Marije experiences first-hand the cruelty that is inflicted on innocent animals and the work the RSPCA does to prevent this. She says this is why she is pushing herself to the limit to raise funds to help even more animals.

“I really enjoy the buzz I get from physical exercise and being in...

The current Miss Devon, 23 year old Clara George, has become the UK’s youngest RSPCA trustee after having been co-opted to the board of the local branch, Little Valley Shelter in Exeter.

The Devon shelter has been seeking trustees and volunteers with social media and marketing experience and knowledge of current trends. Clara, who runs her own social media and digital marketing business, has exactly the skills and experience the RSPCA were looking for, and also happens to have a great love for animals and animal welfare. Her role as a trustee means that she will join with other...

The RSPCA is appealing to locals of Totnes for information after a hedgehog found dead in a back garden was found to have been poisoned.

Found by a homeowner in Riverside, Totnes last Friday afternoon (19 October) the hedgehog had blood around his mouth and nose.

The concerned homeowner took the hedgehog's body to a local vet where it is thought the hedgehog died as a result of poisoning.

The RSPCA has issued an appeal for information to find out more about what happened.

RSPCA inspector Beccy Wadey said: “It’s awful to think this poor little hedgehog...

RSPCA staff have been left scratching their heads after a string of call-outs to collect ‘drunk’ gulls.

The animal welfare charity is concerned that the birds have been gaining access to waste products from a local brewery or alcohol producer which has been making them ill.

RSPCA officers Jo Daniel, Clara Scully and Paul Adams have collected a number of birds exhibiting the same symptoms in recent weeks.

“We have had a number of these come through over the last couple of weeks,” Inspector Daniel said. “We think they’re gaining access to some brewing waste products...