Pet cruelty close to home

Greater Geelong has ranked second for animal cruelty out of Victoria’s 79 local council areas (LGA), according to a list released by RSPCA Victoria on Wednesday.
RSPCA Victoria received 553 animal welfare reports in Greater Geelong this financial year out of 11,840 statewide.
RSPCA Victoria CEO Dr Liz Walker said the geographic data will support the organisation’s cruelty prevention efforts.
“We will be using this data to help us identify the areas that would benefit most from community education and support.”
Of the 553 reports received in Greater Geelong, 310 related to dogs, 20 to puppies, 65 to cats, 17 to kittens and 83 to horses.
The number included 118 underfed animals, 68 abandoned and 70 concerns about animals being beaten or wounded.
“Even one cruelty issue is one too many, yet the number of reports we receive is steadily increasing every year,” Dr Walker said.
“We know that the community is becoming more concerned about animal welfare – which may be part of the reason for the continued rise in report numbers.”
While Greater Geelong was second on the list, according 2011 Census data it had the second highest population of Victorian LGAs.
An RSPCA spokesperson said the list was based the total number of reports, not the number per capita.