Last year 45 heartless pet owners who tortured, beat, starved and then discarded their animals were convicted in Cambridgeshire for animal cruelty thanks to new powers granted to the RSPCA under the Animal Welfare Act.

In statistics released by the RSPCA this week, Cambridgeshire has one of the highest rates of convictions in the East of England, compared to Bedfordshire which convicted just six people, Suffolk nine and Northamptonshire 14.

Chief executive of Wood Green Animal Shelters Dennis Baker – the charity which has a base in Godmanchester – has welcomed the news.
He said: "Wood Green Animal Shelters doesn't deal directly with the prosecution of cruelty cases. However we have seen a rise in abandoned animals, many of which have been neglected and are consequently suffering from injuries.

"The fact that the Animal Welfare Act is allowing the RSPCA to focus more on preventative action will hopefully have a knock-on effect and will result in Wood Green dealing with fewer cases of abandoned animals."

Some of the horrors seen by RSPCA inspectors investigating animal cruelty cases in 2007 included a starved dog found chained to a radiator, five cats thrown into a swimming pool, a dog so emaciated it could hardly walk and a rabbit which ate sawdust bedding in a desperate bid to stay alive.

But thanks to the new powers last year 137,245 people nationally were investigated by the RSPCA for cruelty to animals, a 12 per cent increase, with 1,197 of those convictions for cruelty to dogs, a 34 per cent increase, and 227 for cruelty to cats, a 15 per cent rise.

Acting regional superintendent for the RSPCA Simon Parker said: "Many of the animals we see are the helpless victims of our throwaway society. Even in these early days, the benefits of the new law are clear. Without the new act, this year's cruelty figures could have been even more horrific. The main reason we take people to court is to prevent cruelty being repeated."