Reports of animals being abandoned are on the rise in Cornwall this year.

incidents raised with the RSPCA are up by 40.4 per cent in the first 10 months of the year, ahead of a potentially “grim” winter for pets.

Up to the end of October, 205 incidents about an animal being abandoned or dumped in Cornwall had been raised with the charity's emergency line. That’s compared to146 incidents reported during the same time period last year.

The RSPCA has launched an urgent appeal titled The Big Give Back to Animals as the charity’s rescuers are braced for a further surge in reports over the winter months in the hope of raising vital funds for its frontline officers.

The charity fears for animals across Cornwall over the winter season with "plummeting temperatures and dark nights" placing animals at even greater risk from abandonment.

Across England and Wales, 24,270 abandonment incidents have been reported so far this year - a rise of almost 23 percent compared with the same time period last year, 19,727.

That equates to in the first 10 months of this year - an abandonment incident was reported to the RSPCA’s emergency line every nine minutes it was open.

Last winter between November and January 5,902 incidents of animal abandonment were raised with the charity - and there are fears the upward trend of cases is set to continue in the coming months. There were 49 abandonment incidents last Winter in Cornwall alone.

Reports of animal abandonment will this year reach their highest point in at least six years and issues like the ongoing cost of living crisis mean animals need the RSPCA's support to "survive, heal and thrive" now more than ever.

RSPCA superintendent Simon Osborne said: “It’s been an incredibly challenging year for many pets, and we have seen a dramatic and heartbreaking 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. “Sadly, animal abandonment has become so problematic and so tragically widespread, that we've seen more incidents every month this year when compared to 2024; and reports have been rising year after year.

“There’s an epidemic of animal abandonment and neglect, meaning our officers are needed now more than ever to respond to those animals in the most urgent need of help.”

Simon added: “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.

“But animals are sentient; they feel joy, fear, love and pain, just like we do. They give us so much, and ask for so little. Sadly, without help, many animals will die this winter – scared, suffering, and unloved.

“Thankfully, there is hope - and I am so proud of the RSPCA's efforts to help dumped pets survive, heal and thrive, and go onto a better life. Every year, we find loving new homes for tens of thousands of pets, and rescue countless animals from situations of hopeless cruelty and neglect. “But none of this work is possible without the kindness and generosity of our supporters. Every pound and penny people give goes towards creating a better world for every kind of animal.”

More information on the RSPCA’s ‘Big Give Back to Animals’ can be found on the charity’s website.