“Education is the key to preventing cruelty” – SSPCA’s Mike Flynn
The Scottish SPCA has revealed that in 2017 their frontline staff responded to over 11,900 incidents as a result of calls to their animal helpline in Edinburgh and the Lothians. Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said: “While Scotland is a nation of animals lovers, unfortunately there are some who still abuse and neglect animals.”
The charity has hailed its ground-breaking education programme as the way forward.
Mike Flynn continued, “We firmly believe that education is the key to preventing cruelty and we are encouraged by the continued success of our Prevention through Education programme for primary schools, which reached over 41,000 children in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
“Our inspectors and animal rescue officers also go above and beyond in communities throughout the country, working with members of the public, giving advice, providing support and offering assistance where possible.”
Scotland’s animal welfare charity also reported that they cared for over 950 animals at their Edinburgh Animal Rescue and Rehoming.
Edinburgh Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre Manager Diane Aitchison said, “Last year we found wonderful new homes for nearly 500 animals from our centre here in Balerno, but there’s always more we can do to raise awareness of the number of rescue animals in our care.
“Many of the animals were rescued from lives of abuse or neglect and some were even discarded like rubbish when their owners decided they no longer wanted to look after them.
“It’s heartbreaking to think about but people can help by giving one of these pets a second chance or spreading the word to friends and family.
“This year we hope to find homes for even more animals and we would certainly encourage anyone thinking of taking on a pet to check out our website or visit our Edinburgh centre.”
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