MORNINGTON Peninsula has recorded 227 reports of animal cruelty over the past financial year with 22 animals either seized or surrendered.
The new data was released in RSPCA Victoria’s latest animal cruelty report, making the peninsula the 13th highest in the state for animal cruelty. The report ranked each Victorian local government area (LGA) with Geelong topping the list with 560 reports, followed by Casey (470), and Hume (431) for the 2024-25 financial year.
Mornington Peninsula’s 227 cruelty reports matched the previous year’s figure but was still fewer than the 2022-23 financial year (281 reports). There were also fewer animals seized or surrendered compared to the previous year which was 30. Overall, there were 1.32 reports per 1000 residents on the peninsula.
Across the state, the top three complaints included insufficient food, water or shelter; grooming and hygiene; and underweight issues. In neighbouring LGAs, Frankston ranked 9th after recording 293 reports of animal cruelty with 30 animals seized or surrendered, while Kingston ranked 22nd with 165 reports and 21 animals seized or surrendered.
According to the RSPCA, more than 10,000 animal cruelty reports were made by members of the public in the past 12 months, with 1870 animals being seized by or surrendered to RSPCA Victoria’s Inspectorate, almost double the number of animals seized or surrendered ten years ago.
Chief Inspector Michelle Green said while deliberate acts of animal cruelty still occurred, the RSPCA said the wider impact of drought and ongoing cost-of-living pressures played a greater role.
“While it’s frustrating to see malicious animal cruelty still occurring, our Inspectors are seeing basic animal neglect much more often,” Chief Inspector Green said. “In particular, reports of animals with insufficient food, water, or shelter skyrocketed compared to the previous year, along with seeing people really struggling to provide for the number of animals they have, including animals in hoarding situations (reports of hoarding up 48 per cent).
“Mental health concerns can also impact someone’s ability to provide the for basic needs of their pets, further adding to the complexity of our Inspectors work.”
Animals in rural areas, especially horses, have been hit particularly hard as the drought impacts feed availability. “We have seen a 32 per cent increase in cruelty reports involving horses (1197 reports) and a 23 per cent increase in the number of horses seized or surrendered this year (209 horses),” Chief Inspector Green said.
First published in the Frankston Times – 16 September 2025
