A CHARITY marking its 200th anniversary says demand is soaring. Now the RSPCA is now calling on Berkshire residents to get behind its work.
Last year, across England and Wales, it received 31,947 calls to its emergency line during its birthday week, which runs from June 12-18, more than any other week of the entire year, while its rescuers dealt with 5,573 incidents of cruelty, neglect and mistreatment.
Of those, 48 were in Berkshire.
Across the year, there were 2,946 incidents across the county.
Demand has not declined. The RSPCA says it has received 330,415 calls up to the end of May, with rescuers dealing with 116,512 incidents.
Among them was a fox caught in a snare. A member of the public spotted its struggles and called the RSPCA.
Its officer Dale Grant discovered the animal had been caught in an illegal self-locking snare, and had to be put down. The trap had been attached to a fence, and the fox was tangled while trying to escape.
Mr Grant said: “Illegal snares cause unnecessary suffering and cruelty to animals. This poor fox was near death when I found him and would have suffered a slow and painful end, not to mention how terrified he must have been.
“We are just very grateful that this fox was spotted and not left to suffer in this awful state for even longer.”
The charity wants more people to join its existing one million members, as it says the cost of living crisis, the growth of intensive farming and climate change are all causing problems for the animals.
RSPCA’s chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “Our dedicated rescue teams are so busy on the frontline for animals, and – as we celebrate our landmark 200th anniversary – we’re expecting to be as busy as ever.
“Our birthday week was the busiest week of the whole year last year – and we’re proud that, working with the public, we’re continuing to help animals in Berkshire and across the country.
“We can’t do this alone – and the support of our friends in the animal welfare sector, and the public, is set to be more important than ever as we all look to work together to create a kinder, better world for all animals.
“To keep creating a better world for every animal, we need more people to take action. That’s why, in our 200th year, we want one million people to join our movement – and to share in our vision for every kind.”
For more details, log on to: www.rspca.org.uk/200
