Scots animal charity reports increase in rescues and abandonments Published on Monday 5 March 2012 13:26 AN ANIMAL charity dealth with almost 1,000 incidents a week in Scotland last year, it has been revealed. They included shootings, drownings and starvation. The SSPCA had 50,039 cases of rescues, investigations and abandonments, 8 per cent more than in 2010. The number of animals in the care of the charity also rose to 13,437 and they received 180,556 helpline calls, an average of almost 500 per day. Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said: "It's hard to be sure if cruelty itself is increasing as we also have to consider that our profile has never been higher and more people than ever before are aware of how we can help. What we can say is sheer volume is far from our only concern. While the majority of cases we investigate are the result of ignorance rather than outright cruelty, last year sadly demonstrated once again that there is no limit to how far some people will go to abuse animals. Horrific cases included a dog that was dumped in a garden in Edinburgh after his owner let him starve to death, three kittens tied up in a plastic bag and thrown off a bridge in the Borders and a family of swans who suffered multiple injuries after an airgun attack in West Lothian. We are very thankful for the support we receive and we believe Scotland is still largely a nation of animal lovers. It is clear, though, that cruelty to animals is still a serious issue in this country. In the past year four people were jailed for offences to animals and 46 people have been banned from keeping animals, 12 for life, due to SSPCA investigations. Mr Flynn added: "We are pleased the number of life bans being issued has increased as this is the most effective way of preventing animals from suffering at the hands of people who have demonstrated they are not fit to be owners. Life bans in particular also send a strong signal that owning an animal is a privilege and not a right. David and Colin Reid, of Aberdeen, were the first people to be convicted of animal fighting under Section 23 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act last year. The brothers were jailed for six months and four months respectively in September and the charity said their punishment should act as a warning to anyone else involved in "bloodthirsty and barbaric activities." The charity is focusing on education programmes to promote prevention of cruelty among young people. Mr Flynn said: "It is vital that we continue to encourage children to treat animals with the care and respect they deserve, and we are confident we'll see the benefits in the years to come. We will continue to meet the challenges 2012 brings and with the support of the Scottish public we will do all we can for every abused, abandoned, sick and injured animals in need of our help.