Shock figures show beatings to animals in Wales up 61% over five years

Nation Cymru staff

Shocking new RSPCA Cymru figures show a massive 61% increase in the number of animal beatings reported to the charity over five years.

The animal welfare charity today revealed that there were 840 beating incidents reported last year across Wales – compared to 523 in 2021.

Last year the most reports came in from Swansea (92), Cardiff (74) and in joint third were Newport (59) and Neath Port Talbot (59).

Twenty-one out of 22 of the local authorities in Wales have experienced an increase in reports since 2021 – with the highest increase coming from Ceredigion with a 200% rise (three to nine reports) and the Isle of Anglesey with a 156% rise (nine to 23 reports). (full county stats broken down below)

Blaenau Gwent was the only county to experience a decrease in calls from 20 in 2021 to 13 in 2025.

In addition, there were 16,033 beating incidents reported across the whole of England and Wales, a 90% increase since 2021 – meaning every 15 minutes* the charity receives a beating report.

Dogs and cats usually face the brunt of these attacks – but other animals are often victims too. And according to the charity, it is often someone in the pet’s own family perpetrating the violence – the very person who should be protecting them.

Earlier this month a court in South Wales heard that Narla (pictured) had facial injuries which were “consistent with the mechanism of being punched with force” to the left side of the head.

Her owner was disqualified from keeping animals for five years and was handed an 18 month community order.

The new statistics have been released as part of the charity’s Cruelty Hurts, Love Rescues campaign which coincides with the charity’s busiest time as heartbreaking cruelty reports peak over summer.

RSPCA Superintendent Jo Hirst said: “It’s incredibly distressing to see such a massive rise in reports of intentional beatings with one report coming to our cruelty line every 15 minutes.

“These are often upsetting cases where animals – usually pet cats and dogs – have experienced deliberate and horrific violence – leaving animals with not only physical injuries but mental scars as well.

“The reasons why an individual acts in this way can be down to a multitude of factors – if they are struggling with behavioural problems or their mental health, they may have violent tendencies generally, or sometimes pets are used as part of coercive control, or simply the perpetrator has a complete lack of empathy for animals.”

RSPCA rescuers have praised the public for their help in tackling the cruelty – not only through donations that keep officers on the frontline, but in reporting incidents to the charity’s emergency line.

“To help rescue animals from these situations we rely on the public to be our eyes and ears and report any concerns about animal abuse to us and we are grateful that so many people do and are more aware of the problem,” added Jo.

“We’re also finding that CCTV footage, doorbell cameras and smartphones are providing a view into society that we never had before, meaning that animal beatings are more likely to be caught on camera in supermarket car parks, on streets, in lifts, and even behind closed doors in the home.

“This could also account for the rise that we are seeing as they are more likely to be caught on camera, uploaded to social media or reported to us.”

In recent years there have been several incidents which have resulted in successful prosecutions brought forward by the RSPCA in Wales.

• A bulldog suffered due to the infliction of physical abuse in south east Wales. The court heard that a member of the public videoed the incident where the dog was kicked several times. A man was sentenced which included a ban from keeping dogs and the dog was happily rehomed.
• Another case where footage from members of the public was handed to the RSPCA led to a prosecution in south east Wales. A vet report said that it was their opinion that the dog suffered due to being beaten. Two people were disqualified from keeping all animals, and were ordered to undertake a community order.
• A man from south east Wales was disqualified from keeping animals after he was caught on camera beating his dog which appeared on social media. He also received a suspended prison sentence.
• In south west Wales CCTV footage showing a dog being hit and dropped led to a man being handed a prison sentence. The man was also disqualified from keeping all animals.

Jo added: “We’ve rescued countless animals from horrific settings – but sadly others we deal with have died at the hands of their abuser and it is then our role to try and bring justice for those poor victims.

“But to continue our life-saving work, we not only rely on the public to report their concerns, but as a charity, for those who can to support our Cruelty Hurts, Love Rescues campaign, so we can help more animals like these escape from violence and live happy new lives they deserve.”

The campaign coincides with the charity’s busiest time as heartbreaking cruelty reports peak over summer. In June, July and August last year the RSPCA received 6,322* cruelty calls to their emergency line last year which is one call every 10 minutes when the line is open.

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