Greater Bendigo is among the worst in the state for animal cruelty reports, according to new RSPCA data.
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There were 335 reports of animal cruelty in the local government area in the 2022/2023 financial year, an increase of 53 compared to the previous 12 month's data.
Bendigo the sixth-worst for animal cruelty
The region ranked six out of Victoria's 79 LGAs for number of reports, however ranked 20 out of 79 for reports per thousand residents with a rate of 2.73.
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There were 42 cases of animals being seized and surrendered.
The Loddon and Central Goldfields local government areas were ranked second and fourth respectively for per capita reports.
Loddon had 4.66 reports for every 1000 people, while Central Goldfields had a rate of 4.07 per 1000 people.
There were more than 10,000 reports of animal cruelty, with 2569 animals surrendered or seized in Victoria.
That figure represented a 20 per cent increase from the previous year, a "worrying trend" according to RSPCA Victoria's Chief Inspector Michael Stagg.
Cost of living a factor for poor pet care
Mr Stagg said many factors contributed to the increase.
"Cost of living pressures may be impacting people's ability to care for their pets, whether it be their ability to provide suitable food or their ability to pay for necessary medical care," Mr Stagg said.
"Many people also became first-time pet owners during the COVID-19 pandemic and may need further information or support to help them understand how to care for their animals such as providing sanitary living conditions, grooming or preventative health measures."
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The most common type of cruelty report concerned insufficient water, food, or shelter.
Husbandry concerns were also reported, such as unsanitary living conditions, and infrequent or no visits from farriers or shearers.
The worst LGAs for surrenders or seizures were Melton with 260, Latrobe with 116 and Ararat with 81.
The highest number of cruelty reports was Greater Geelong with 550, Casey with 508, and Hume with 414.
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