RSPCA Week - Get Involved!
Last year 150 RSPCA branches and animal centres across England and Wales joined forces to raise money for the many thousands of cruelly-treated, neglected and sick animals which come into the charity’s care.
RSPCA Week 2011 runs from 2nd May to 8th May and is now in its 20th year.
More than £322,000 was raised during RSPCA Week in 2010, and over 36,000 packs of pet food were collected.
The Tesco Charitable Trust supports RSPCA Week and a network of RSPCA volunteers holds collections at most of its stores throughout the country during the week.
To find out how to help, please send an email to fundraisers-support@rspca.org.uk and ask for an RSPCA Week fundraising pack which gives details about organising activities like quizzes, cake bakes and bring and buy sales for the RSPCA.
You can also get involved by volunteering to collect at your nearest store, even if it’s just for two hours. Or go along to one of the events held by RSPCA branches in your area.
Or you can just pop a penny, pound or as much as you can afford in a collection tin at your local Tesco when you do your shopping between 2nd and 8th May.
This year sees the launch of Stand up for your Animal, an online campaign in which the public can show their support for their favourite animal.
Find out how you can support RSPCA Week online at www.rspca.org.uk
Find out how you helped the RSPCA to help animals..
RSPCA reveals annual animal welfare figures for RSPCA Week
The RSPCA investigated almost 160,000 complaints of alleged cruelty in 2010 (159,686), which is more than a 10% increase compared to 2009 (141,280).
More than 86,000 (86,354) animal owners received welfare improvement advice from the RSPCA last year, to help them improve the way they care for their pets. This was up by more than 10,000 compared to the previous year (76,199).
In addition, ninety two per cent of people who received warning notices from RSPCA inspectors chose to follow them rather than risk possible prosecution, resulting in much-improved lives for thousands of animals.
The RSPCA received more than 1.1 million phone calls and their advice team answered over 104,000 enquiries in 2010, with half of these being online enquiries.
RSPCA are releasing their annual animal welfare figures as a way of showing valued supporters how they have helped the RSPCA help animals over the last year.
During 2010, the RSPCA:
- Answered 1,163,240 calls
- Investigated 159,686 complaints of alleged animal cruelty
- Issued 86,354 animal owners with welfare improvement advice
- Rescued and collected130,033 animals
- Rehomed 64,086 animals
- Treated and helped 210,970 animals in our hospitals and clinics
- Spent almost £4m on veterinary care
- Microchipped 67,388 animals, helping them to stay safe
- Admitted 16,429 wildlife casualties into our four wildlife centres
The RSPCA had to rescue fewer animals in 2010, which could be good news in that people took their advice on board and were able to keep their pets rather than having to give them up.
The number of animals they had to find new homes for also decreased. This reflects the fact that the RSPCA is concentrating on caring for those animals which are most in need, i.e. those brought in by the inspectors.
Tony Woodley, communications and liaison officer for the RSPCA inspectorate, said:
"It is thanks to the commitment and dedication of our officers that they managed to investigate so many complaints and rescue so many animals, especially given the treacherous weather we had in the early and latter parts of the year.
Offering welfare advice is a crucial part of the work of the RSPCA since the Animal Welfare Act came into law in 2007. It enables our officers to actually prevent cruelty by issuing owners with advice on how to care for and treat their animals.
Over nine out of ten owners chose to follow the advice rather than risking prosecution, which is always a last resort as far as the RSPCA is concerned."
One of the animals collected by the RSPCA was 'Winter'.
This white cat was found lodged halfway through a cat flap in Coventry with a broken leg. Winter was nursed back to health and was found a new home by the charity’s Coventry animal centre.
The RSPCA is and has always been proactive in preventing cruelty and suffering to animals. This is why it is such an achievement that more than 90% of animal owners chose to follow the welfare advice offered by our officers.
In addition to our work with companion animals, we have a strong record in rehabilitating sick and injured wild animals and birds. We are also working hard to improve the lives of farm animals and have helped to boost the numbers of free range laying hens and pigs raised to higher welfare standards.
All in all, the RSPCA just wants to say thank you to our supporters for continuing to help us to help all animals.
David Bowles. RSPCA’s director of communications.
The four RSPCA wildlife centres admitted more than 16,000 casualties last year.
The RSPCA Mallydams Wood wildlife centre in East Sussex had almost 3,000 admissions – its highest in 50 years.
The RSPCA West Hatch wildlife centre in Somerset had a very rare visitor last year: an extremely weak juvenile Leisler’s bat had to be rehabilitated for more than a month before he could be released.
Another wildlife rescue involved a fallow stag which had become entangled in a swing in Hook, Hampshire.
The deer was freed by two RSPCA inspectors who had joined forces with the fire and rescue service.
He was dazed but unharmed and wandered off into the woodland on his release.
To find out more about the work of the RSPCA please visit www.rspca.org.uk.
To find out how to support your local independent RSPCA branch during RSPCA Week and all year round, and for a list of your local events, please visit www.rspcaweek.org.uk
Follow RSPCA Frontline on Twitter (@RSPCA_frontline) for a live one-day tweet-a-thon on Thursday 5 May.
RSPCA inspector Tony Woodley will be tweeting updates of animal rescues and cruelty complaints received throughout the day.