The First Minister has opened the Scottish SPCA's new animal helpline centre in Dunfermline, as the animal welfare charity revealed another dramatic increase in calls from the public.
During the first six months of this year calls to the Scottish SPCA leapt 20% compared to the same period in 2008, with 69,870 calls received.
Alex Salmond said: "It's often said we are a nation of animal lovers but these new figures show that too many animals suffer neglect or abuse at the hands of humans.
"The latest rise in calls underlines the importance of this new helpline centre, which is staffed by twice as many people as were employed at the start of 2008.
"The impressive purpose-built centre reflects the Society's increasing and varied workload.
"The Scottish SPCA is Scotland's oldest animal welfare charity, having rescued, protected and re-homed vulnerable animals since 1839 and I would urge people to ensure that they call their helpline if they discover or suspect an animal is in distress.
"I wish the Society the very best of luck and that their invaluable work will continue to change the lives of animals for another 170 years."
Scottish SPCA Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said, "While we always urge the public to call our helpline if an animal is in distress or if they have information about cruelty to animals, this increase is nevertheless staggering and represents a huge strain on our resources.
"We also experienced a 20% rise in calls over the course of 2008, which followed annual increases over each of the previous five years.
"Quite simply, our helpline centre in Edinburgh did not have the capacity to meet the demands the public are making of us, so we have moved to premises where we have been able to take on more staff and have the ability to further expand."
Last updated: 21 August 2009, 21:19 GMT
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