Kent has been named as a hotspot for weapon attacks on animals, with the highest number of reports across the country in the last three years.

New data from the RSPCA reveals that between 2020 and 2023 there were 896 incidents in England and Wales, 61 of those in Kent, and officers say they are particularly concerned about the situation here.

Trigger Warning: This article contains images readers may find distressing.

The county was followed by Greater London which saw 52 attacks and then the West Midlands and Merseyside which both reported 36 attacks to the charity.

KentOnline has reported on a number of animal attacks this year.

In Chatham, a fox had to be put down in May after it was shot at with a catapult by a group of teenagers due to its severe injuries.

Elsewhere, residents were left horrifed after watching a group of boys “torture” and kill birds with catapults in Maidstone.

The teenagers allegedly also kicked and threw a duck against a wall by the River Medway, near Fremlin Walk, oblivious to those around them.

In Paddock Wood, police confirmed two catapults and 62 ball bearings had been seized from two boys in Paddock Wood following reports they were using them to target wildlife.

Days later a 15-year-old was arrested following a report a family’s pet peacock was killed with catapults in Boughton Monchelsea.

Another suspected attack occurred in Faversham when a helpless duck was found lying dead next to her nine “stone cold” eggs.

Between 2022 and 2023, wild birds bore the brunt of weapon attacks, with numbers increasing from 190 to 214.

Crossbows are the weapon which has seen the biggest increase in its use in attacks, with 11 incidents in 2023, compared to seven in 2022.

However, catapults, slingshots and air guns have also been identified as some of the most commonly used to target animals.

This year, KentOnline reported on the sick world of TikTok animal abusers using catapults to kill wildlife in Kent.

RSPCA lead wildlife officer Geoff Edmond said: “These weapon attacks are horrific, but what we see is likely only the tip of the iceberg - and we are particularly concerned about the situation in Kent.

“It is unspeakably cruel and totally unacceptable to shoot animals for ‘fun’ like this - or to harm them for target practice, but sadly we receive nearly 200 reports across England and Wales every year.

“While most people will be appalled by attacking animals in this way, sadly the RSPCA’s experience shows that there are people out there who are deliberately targeting wildlife, pets and farm animals with guns, catapults and crossbows.

“These weapons cause horrific pain and suffering.

“Day after day, our frontline officers and animal centres see the sickening consequences of weapons being used on animals - severe injuries often leading to death.

“And what we deal with probably only represents a small part of a much wider problem, as not all cases will be reported to the RSPCA directly and there may be situations where animals injured and killed by these weapons are sadly never found - especially in the case of wildlife.

“This is why we need our supporters to back our RSPCA No Animal Deserves Cruelty Appeal campaign so we can tackle this horrific trend and continue to take action against cruelty.”

The RSPCA receives more reports of cruelty in summer than at any other time of year.

Overall, there has been a 23% year-on-year increase in the total number of animals targeted by weapons, up from 300 in 2022 to 370 last year.