FRANKSTON ranked eighth of Victoria’s 79 local council areas for animal cruelty, according to a list of hotspots released by RSPCA Victoria.
Of the 11,840 cruelty reports across the state in 2015-16, 366 involved the welfare of animals on the peninsula.
RSPCA Victoria CEO Dr Liz Walker said that geographic analysis of cruelty reporting data will support efforts to focus on the areas that need it most.
“Our vision is ending cruelty to all animals – and we know that prevention is the key to ending cruelty,” she said. “Over the next 12 months we will be using this data to help identify areas that would benefit most from community education and support.”
Welfare concerns for dogs, cats and horses continued to make up most issues reported to the RSPCA.
Of the 359 reports received in Frankston, 218 related to dogs and 11 to puppies); 61 related to cats and 14 to kittens and 19 to horses. The remainder related to other animals.
Of the issues reported on the peninsula 105 related to hygiene, grooming and housing conditions; 79 concerned underweight animals; 78 involved sick and injured animals not receiving vet treatment; 51 concerned animals with insufficient food, 71 with insufficient water and 52 with insufficient shelter; 64 concerned abandoned animals, and 40 were about animals being beaten or wounded.
“Even one cruelty issue is one too many, yet the number of reports we receive is steadily increasing every year,” Dr Walker said.
“We know that the community is becoming more concerned about animal welfare, which may be part of the reason for the continued rise in reports.
“What is particularly disturbing is the fact that many of the issues reported to us involve very basic animal welfare matters, such the way animals are being housed and fed.”
Fifteen council areas received more than 300 animal cruelty reports last financial year, making up almost half of the total reports. Mornington Peninsula received 366 complaints, Casey Council received 566; Geelong 554, Melbourne 479, Yarra Ranges 460, Bendigo 369, Hume 362 and Kingston 192.
