Picture: Yanni
KINGSTON ranked 21st of Victoria’s 79 local council areas for animal cruelty, according to a list of hotspots released last week by RSPCA Victoria.
Of the 11,840 cruelty reports received by the RSPCA across the state in 2015-16, 192 concerned animal welfare in Kingston.
RSPCA Victoria CEO Dr Liz Walker said that geographic analysis of cruelty reporting data would support the RSPCA’s efforts to target its prevention activity to the areas that need it most.
“[Our] vision is to end cruelty to all animals – and we know that prevention is the key to ending cruelty,” Dr Walker said.
“Over the next 12 months we will be using this data to help us identify the areas that would benefit most from community education and support.”
Welfare concerns for dogs, cats and horses continued to make up the majority of issues reported to the RSPCA in 2015-16.
Of the 192 reports received about Kingston, 102 related to dogs and three to puppies; 36 related to cats and two to kittens, and 27 related to horses.
Issues reported in Kingston included 51 about poor hygiene, grooming and housing conditions; 43 were for underweight animals; 38 for sick and injured animals not receiving vet treatment; 22 reported animals with insufficient food, 30 for insufficient water and 24 for insufficient shelter; 38 for abandoned animals and 25 for 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 report numbers.
“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.
“RSPCA Victoria wants to partner with communities to find practical ways to boost animal welfare by improving local knowledge and support for animal owners, and will continue to enforce the law and rehabilitate those animals who have suffered harm.”
Fifteen council areas received more than 300 animal cruelty reports last financial year, making up almost half of the total reports. Casey Council received 566 complaints, Geelong 554, Melbourne 479, Yarra Ranges 460, Bendigo 369, Mornington Peninsula, 366, Hume 362, and Frankston 359.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 7 September 2016