When the RSPCA took Anton’s dog, he little expected them to return it to him in a plastic bag. But that’s what happened. Find out what happened to Anton – and what is going to happen to the RSPCA. It’s animal rights at home and abroad this week as we visit the Dallas Safari Club Show 2016 in Texas. News has the labrador trained to retrieve lobsters and Hunting YouTube looks at the new crop of hunting films in the snow. It’s all in tonight’s Fieldsports Britain.
Here are the links to the items:
▶ RSPCA
▶ News Stump
▶ Dallas Safari Club Show
▶ Hunting YouTube
▶ Here are the links to Hunting YouTube:
Hushin www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_2zcIHJ6GI
Janne Brattbacken www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0OdoVyv1UE
JaktFeber www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeXErT0RkHU
Guillaume Ryelandt www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwOXL_55m4s
Motohumter www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvnTF28iFAA
Into The Wilderness www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyN2WpvwD6I
Joseph Carter www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MUGve15ekk
TheBlaze www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXTiYQzzbB8
Here is the RSPCA’s statement in full:
Our question: What was wrong with the RSPCA’s case against Anton (i.e why did so many charges fail)?
RSPCA answer:
There was nothing wrong with the case. The decision to prosecute has been vindicated by [Anton]’s conviction.
No case is prosecuted by the RSPCA unless it is satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of securing a conviction and it is in the public interest. In this respect the RSPCA has regard for the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
The dismissal of a number of charges by the Courts does not mean that it was wrong to prefer those charges in the first place. It is the function of the Court to assess the evidence before it and to independently adjudicate.
Our question: What powers do RSPCA inspectors have to remove pets they consider subject to cruelty?
RSPCA answer:
The RSPCA have no special powers to remove pets. In this instance, on 14 March 2014, Lincolnshire Police seized nine dogs from the address in Mablethorpe under section 23 of the Animal Welfare Act in connection with an investigation into allegations of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog, animal fighting and badger baiting. The police then put the dogs into RSPCA care.
Our question: Are you doing more animal cruelty cases than you were 10 years ago?
RSPCA answer:
In 2014 the RSPCA secured 2,419 convictions in Magistrates’ court, in 2013 this number was 3,961 and in 2012 this was 4,168. In 2007 after the Animal Welfare Act came in this figure was 1,940.
For the previous four years at least the RSPCA has received over 1 million calls to its cruelty line per year. Our prosecutions represent less than 1 per cent of the number reported to us through this phone line.
The prosecution figures do tend to fluctuate over the years so we wouldn’t say we were ‘doing more animal cruelty cases’ as such – it tends to depend on what happens over the year.
To put this into perspective in 2014 we dispensed 82,746 welfare improvement advice notices, in 2013 this was 76,810 and in 2012 this was 78,090. Most of the issues we come across are dealt with by issuing advice.
