SuffolkNews follows RSPCA inspector for a day which included advising pet owners and rescuing injured seagull
Advising pet owners, rescuing birds with broken wings and fishing ducklings out of drains is all in a day's work for an RSPCA inspector working in Suffolk.
With environmental awareness bubbling to the fore and as the cost of living crisis takes its toll, I followed an inspector to find out more about their job and discover what issues are affecting Suffolk pets and wildlife.
Inspector Nicky Thorne, from the Diss area, who has been working as an inspector for 18 years, picked me up from my home in Bury St Edmunds one morning. The first job that we were assigned to was a welfare check on two dogs who had been living in dangerous conditions. Nicky had arranged to visit the owner again, two weeks after her initial visit, to see if he had cleaned up his house which was littered with rubbish and broken glass.
Whilst on the road, I asked Nicky what a typical day is like for an RSPCA inspector. She explained that much like the AA, jobs come through on to her phone and are put into priority order. Inspectors are then sent to jobs based on distance and which cases have the biggest priority.
She said: "The best thing about it is we're always doing different things.
"We do complaint work, which is when people phone in with an allegation that an animal has been hurt, or abandoned or not being looked after properly.
"We also do collections and rescues, so if somebody has found an injured bird or some ducklings down a drain."
We soon arrived at the welfare check job to visit the two dogs. When inside, Nicky noted that the owner had made an effort to tidy up the living room and kitchen.
There was no more broken glass and a lot of the rubbish had been picked up, but some litter still remained. Whilst talking to the owner, the dogs got hold of a dog food can, a plastic bag and a dish scourer and Nicky had to advise the owner of the dangers of dogs chewing on those items.
She also advised that a charred piece of pizza left in a dog bowl was not suitable for pets to eat.
The owner did not want to hand the dogs over so Nicky booked an appointment to see him in two weeks to see how he was getting on.
"I'm pleased that he's made some improvement but it does really worry me that the dogs are still exposed to those hazards," she said.
"If I am able to educate him to be able to provide the right environment for them himself then that is an acceptable outcome.
"Our job isn't to go round taking people's animals and prosecuting everybody.
"That's not what we're here for - it's trying to strike a balance between educating people and protecting the animals."
From a young age Nicky always wanted to work for the RSPCA.
"Her very first experience of the charity was when a feral cat had kittens in the greenhouse in the garden of her childhood home and an RSPCA inspector came to collect the cat and her kittens.
Nicky went to study zoology at university and at the age of 21 applied for a job with the RSPCA.
After training in West Sussex and two months field training in Oxford and London, Nicky was posted to Surrey where she worked for eight years. She eventually met her husband, who also works within the RSPCA, and moved up here.
In all her years as an inspector, one of the worst incidents she was called out to was in Lowestoft when someone had tethered horses to a cliff in Pakefield and abandoned them. One of the horses had slipped down the cliff and was hanging.
"I had come along the beach so it was above me. I assumed it was dead but it was still alive. I scrambled up the cliff and cut it down. I then sat with it wrapped in my coat in the pitch black and freezing cold with its head on my lap.
"The fire service came and we put it on oxygen - we tried so hard to save it. We managed to lift it onto the lorry but it died just as we got to Redwings Horse Sanctuary.
"It was so traumatic and I was by myself but I had to do something to save it. There's also this feeling of helplessness - I can get you down but I can't save you."
We were soon back on the road and heading to Brandon, near Thetford, to pick up a bird with an injured wing.
We got to Peckniffs on the industrial estate and met a man who had managed to capture the injured bird and placed it into a box.
It was a seagull which had severely injured its wing. Nicky believes the bird could have possibly been hit by a truck in the work yard.
Although she didn't think much could be done to help the bird, she was going to have it checked out by a vet. After safely putting the seagull in the back of the van, we were on the road to Bury again.
To those thinking about going for a career with the RSPCA, Nicky says that people should be mindful that the job is both about people and animals.
"An understanding of working with people is as important as your love of animals and wanting to work with them."
Facts about the RSPCA in Suffolk
- There are 10 officers working in the Suffolk and Essex group, however RSPCA inspectors work borderless which means officers wouldn't just cover those areas. Incidents are tasked to whichever officer is nearest.
- There were 64 calls made in Suffolk in 2021 about animals affected by litter.
- There has been a huge surge in pet ownership in recent years and the RSPCA rehomed 28,740 animals in 2020, with 358 rehomed in Suffolk.
How to report a case of animal cruelty
Due to their limited number of staff, RSPCA officers can only attend incidents where there is a genuine animal welfare emergency that may require a visit by an officer.
Genuine animal welfare emergencies are when an animal is sick, injured or trapped and it is not safe or not suitable for a member of the public to help.
The charity also notes that some situations that may appear distressing, such as owners keeping dogs outside or the tethering of horses, are not illegal. Officers have to prioritise cases where the law is broken.
Stray dogs that are not in imminent danger should be reported to the local council dog warden.
To report a stray dog in West Suffolk contact customer services on 01284 757053 during office hours and for out of hours contact 01284 763252.
In East Suffolk, lost or stray dogs can be reported 24 hours a day on 07500 765833, and in Babergh or Mid Suffolk, contact the council on 0300 123 400 before 5pm (option 7) or 0808 168 7794 between 5pm and 9pm.
And in Ipswich, the borough council operates a stray dog collection service between 8.30am and 9pm, Monday to Sunday. Stray dogs can still be reported outside of these hours and the details will be passed to the dog warden the following morning. Call 01473 432000 Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm, or 01473 433444 all other times, including weekends.
To report animal cruelty, neglect or an animal in distress to the RSPCA, call cruelty line on 0300 1234 999 between the hours of 8am to 8pm.
