There have been 30 reports of animals abandoned in Cambridgeshire to the RSPCA's cruelty hotline since lockdown started.

The RSPCA says that nationally they are getting around 40 calls a day about pets that have been abandoned.

People are also not able to adopt animals as easily as before, and RSPCA shelters are becoming more full.

While the RSPCA isn't often able to identify why animals are abandoned it said that people shoudn't be worrying that they might catch coronavirus from them.

Dermot Murphy, head of the RSPCA rescue teams, said: “Although much of the country is on lockdown, sadly there are still thousands of animals who need our help, including abandoned pets.

“Many people are finding their pets are a real source of comfort in these anxious times and thankfully cases of abandonment are slightly lower than usual but it’s heartbreaking that some animals are being dumped during this crisis.

Numbers of abandonments have actually decreased since the lockdown, but there are still dozens of cases in the county

“In most cases we don’t know why pets are abandoned but it’s really important to remind people that there is no evidence to suggest that Covid-19 can be passed from pets to people.

“There is lots of help and support out there for anyone else struggling to get animal food, with health or behavioural issues, exercising their pets or managing to keep children safe around pets. Please don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

Since the Government introduced the lockdown measures, the RSPCA has responded to more than 27,000 incidents, with 1,600 incidents of abandoned animals reported. The number of animals being cared for by the RSPCA at centres, hospitals and vet surgeries has also grown by hundreds.

Animal rescuers at the charity are designated key workers by the Government but vital funding is needed to help the RSPCA’s frontline staff continue this crucial work across England and Wales.

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