RSPCA: Animal abandonment on the rise in East Sussex

The RSPCA has reported a 19.5 per cent increase in cases in the first 10 months of the year, raising concerns about the welfare of pets during the colder months.

A total of 251 incidents were reported in East Sussex up to the end of October, compared to 210 during the same period last year.

Simon Osborne, RSPCA superintendent, said: "It’s been an incredibly challenging year for many pets, and we have seen a dramatic and heart-breaking rise in abandonments this year. And with Winter upon us, with plummeting temperatures and dark nights, we fear things could get even harder in the months to come.

Ten tarantulas were abandoned in freezing temperatures. The spiders were cared for at RSPCA Brighton Reptile Rescue before being rehomed after they were left inside rubbish sacks on a grass verge in Lewes just before last Christmas. (Image: RSPCA)

"Times are tough, right now – and animals are paying the price. Reports of abandonment are set to reach their highest mark in at least six years, and the worst could be yet to come as we enter a grim Winter period."

The RSPCA has launched an urgent fundraising appeal, The Big Give Back to Animals, to support its frontline work.

Visit the RSPCA website for more information.

Last winter, 64 abandonment incidents were reported in East Sussex.

Across England and Wales, 24,270 abandonment incidents have been recorded so far this year.