What is animal crime
Wildlife and animal crime can be a complex area to understand. To find out what wildlife crime is, go to our wildlife crime page.
Crimes involving animals that aren’t wildlife crimes, include:
- livestock worrying
- livestock theft
- hunting
- animal cruelty
- dogs being out of control in public places
- banned dogs
- dog theft
Livestock crime
There are two types of livestock crime:
- livestock worrying. This is where a dog attacks or chases livestock causing injury or suffering
- livestock theft
Find out more about these offences, including how you can report them to us, on our livestock crime page.
Hunting
Hunting includes the chasing, capturing or killing of animals and birds.
Not all hunting is a crime, but there are many different laws to protect the different species of animals and birds. These laws cover things like:
- where you can hunt
- when you can hunt
- if you can use dogs or not
- the types of weapons and traps that can be used
Many animals are also protected by law, meaning it’s illegal to hunt them at any time unless you have special exemptions.
Find out more:
Illegal hunting
Types of illegal hunting
Animal cruelty
Animal cruelty is when someone doesn’t care for or deliberately hurts an animal.
It can include anything from physical violence, to deliberate mental distress or neglect, for example not feeding or cleaning an animal.
If you see, or suspect, that a person may be treating an animal badly, whether this is physical violence, neglect or any other form of cruelty, you should report this to the RSPCA.
We work with the RSPCA to investigate cases of animal cruelty.
If your partner, ex-partner or a family member has harmed or threatened to harm your pet, this can be a form of domestic abuse. Find out more about animal cruelty and domestic abuse.
Dog crime
There are a number of offences related to dogs. These include:
- letting a dog be dangerously out of control, whether that’s in public or private
- owning or possessing a banned dog, like an XL Bully, unless you have a valid Certificate of Exemption
It’s also a crime if someone steals your dog.
Find out more about these offences, and how you can report them, on our dog crime page.
If the dog seems to be out of control, let us know by calling 101.
More information on animals and pets