The RSPCA has said that thousands of calls were made reporting deliberate harm to wild animals in the last five years. The charity also claimed that it had received nearly 10,000 calls since 2016, and that cruelty towards animals has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the worst cases included a hedgehog being stoned to death in Nottinghamshire and a swan being shot six times in Wrexham.

Many people have now taken to social media to express their views.

One Twitter user said: “Just why anyone would want to harm any defenceless animal is beyond me.”

Another added: “Why do humans think it’s their right to take any living creature’s life? Stop the world I want to get off.”

A third said: “Absolutely horrific news. There really are some horrible disgusting low life people about.

“What makes someone stone a hedgehog to death? Some people really are just beyond help.”

A fourth added: “What happens in someone’s life to make them think this is ok? Seriously messed up in the head.”

Another person added: “People need putting away for years for this, it’s still murder.”

A sixth added: “What is wrong with people !? They need locking up and education of the value of life.”

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The charity further added that their employees witness suffering inflicted on animals through crimes such as airgun and crossbow shootings, badger baiting, dog fighting, illegal hunting with dogs, including hare coursing, and trapping birds.

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’.”

Mr Grogan added: “Police forces reported a rise in anti-social behaviour during that first lockdown, when pressures and frustrations may have led to more of this type of crime, leading to some seeking ‘entertainment’ through these sorts of barbaric incidents involving wildlife.”

He continued: “There is no place for cruelty to animals in today’s society and we urge anyone who spots anything suspicious when out and about or sees anything online to report it.”

The RSPCA said that between 2016 and 2020, more than 4,000 incidents of cruelty involving wild mammals took place, with more than 5,000 reports of abuse towards wild birds being reported.

Greater London had the highest number of wildlife abuse cases reported with 101, followed by 37 in Kent and 36 in the West Midlands.

The animals intentionally harmed most frequently were foxes at 2,299, followed by deer at 500 and badgers at 497.

As for wild birds, pigeons received the highest number of 1,518 reports of cruelty, followed by swans at 700, and gulls at 648.