West Yorkshire named among worst wildlife abuse areas as RSPCA reveals scale of crime

The animal welfare charity said it had taken almost 10,000 calls nationally over the past five years from people reporting intentional harm being inflicted on wild creatures, with deer, swans and hedgehogs among the most commonly abused.

Its head of wildlife, Adam Grogan, said: "We say we’re a nation of animal-lovers and yet every year, we see wild animals in our wildlife centres and animal hospitals that have been badly injured or killed by being beaten, mutilated, poisoned, or shot for ‘fun’."