Slashed foal: Animal was attacked in Cupar, Fife. Pic: © Scottish SPCA
The Scottish SPCA say 2009 was the "worst year in recent memory" for animal cruelty - and have revealed a series of horrific stabbings, shootings and beatings suffered by pets and wild animals across the country.
Welfare chiefs say the charity's staff dealt with a series of "sickening and harrowing" attacks that led to the death of many animals.
Through the year the Scottish SPCA's animal rescue and rehoming centres saw 14,019 unwanted, abandoned and neglected animals pass through its doors - up from 12,545 in 2008.
And the charity's inspectors and ambulance drivers attended more than 42,500 incidents and rescues, a rise of more than 4,000 since 2008.
Now they have revealed some of the most shocking cases over the past 12 months.
They include a dog who was burnt to death in Peebles, another dog that was tied to a barbed wire fence and left to starve to death near Brechin and a foal, pictured above, that was attacked with a knife in Fife.
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Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn, of the Scottish SPCA, said: "While our workload has increased, we believe that this is due in part to people being more aware of who we are and how we can help. What is shocking though, even to us, is the nature of recent attacks against animals.
"Our inspectors and ambulance drivers have had to deal with some of the most sickening and harrowing scenes you can imagine.
"Thankfully, the vast majority of pet owners in Scotland take great care of their animals, but the animal cruelty we are dealing with is horrific.
"One case which stands out from last year was a wee staffie dog we rescued that was so gentle and loving despite having survived being shot in the head 13 times with an airgun by her drunken owner in Glasgow. Her owner was prosecuted and banned from keeping animals and she was successfully rehomed. However, there are times when we don’t get the information we need to bring the perpetrators to justice.
He added: "We continue to work tirelessly to rescue and rehome defenceless animals across the country and to educate children in particular that animals deserve to be treated with kindness and humanity.
"Sadly, cruelty to animals continues to be a major problem in Scotland.
"Last year we launched a new and free interactive school education programme helping us to teach the next generation of animal carers about why animals deserve to be treated with compassion and respect. Where that’s not happening is where we need to get involved.
"The public are our eyes and ears and we rely on them to contact us and report their concerns. We encourage anyone who knows of an animal in distress to call our Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
"That call could save an animal’s life or change it for the better."
