RSPCA braced for 2,000 festive calls
An animal charity is preparing for an onslaught of more than 2,000 distress calls over the Christmas period as it launches an annual appeal for vital food, bedding and medication.
More than 4,000 calls were made to the RSPCA’s cruelty hotline during December by people in the wider Midlands area – with more than half being made by callers in Birmingham and the Black Country.
During the same month, the RSPCA also took in nearly 5,500 animals and gave them a warm bed, food and veterinary care, in addition to the thousands of animals already in their care.
The charity today launched its 2018 Stock the Sleigh appeal asking animal lovers to help buy vital items to make the festive season a safe one.
Bosses said the organisation received 4,342 calls in the West Midlands to its 24-hour emergency hotline in December with concerns about animals in distress.
In Staffordshire there were 903, in Shropshire 369 and in Worcestershire 426.
On Christmas Day, the charity’s West Midlands’ centres were caring for more than 450 animals – 251 at RSPCA Birmingham and 215 at Gonsal Farm in Shropshire.
Across the UK, staff answered more than 43,000 calls and investigated more than 10,000 complaints. The RSPCA says its inspectors will be out around the clock again this December in all weathers rescuing a broad range of animals, from domestic pets to farm livestock to wildlife.
Following their rescue, many animals will go on to spend weeks, months and sometimes years in the charity’s care getting vet treatment, rehabilitation, training, food and shelter.
RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood said it could only be done with the help of public donations, with the average cost of running a centre amounting to more than £750,000 a year.
Mr Sherwood said: “We would not be able to help the thousands of animals we rescue, rehome and rehabilitate every Christmas without the public’s generous support.
“What people perhaps don’t realise is that after each animal is brought to warmth and safety, they sometimes face weeks and months of vital care, whether that is someone to hand-rear a kitten through the night, vital surgery for an abused dog, rehabilitation for an injured gull, or simply a warm bed and food for a neglected or abandoned animal.”
The charity said donations of £6 could feed a dog for a week, £3 could buy a toy, £7 a blanket, while £24.50 could pay for a rescue and shelter and £48 would provide veterinary care, hydration and medicines.
To donate, go to the website rspca.org.uk/stockthesleigh
