‘It’s not AI, it’s real’: shock as RSPCA releases images of 250 dogs found at property: dozens of dogs crammed into a living room space

 

Dozens of dogs were found crammed into single living room space at property in undisclosed location in UK

More than 250 dogs have been found at a property in scenes so shocking that the RSPCA was forced to deny allegations that the images were faked by artificial intelligence.

The animal welfare charity said it took in 87 dogs from the property at an undisclosed location in the UK and the remainder went to the Dogs Trust, another charity.

After the RSPCA posted images of the property online showing dozens of the animals crammed into a living room space, members of the public accused the charity of generating the photos with AI tools.

But the RSPCA said the images were real and it had seen a 70% rise in multi-animal incidents across England and Wales since 2021, referring to calls involving 10 or more animals.

The property owners told RSPCA inspectors they had lost control of the breeding of the poodle-cross dogs and the situation quickly “got out of hand”.

The property owners told RSPCA inspectors they lost control of the breeding of the poodle-cross dogs. Photograph: Brett Harkness/RSPCA

Jo Hirst, an RSPCA superintendent, said: “This shocking image is the reality of many multi-animal cases and the situation our frontline officers seem to be confronting more and more – with reports of cases involving 10, 20 and even 100 animals on the rise.

“We understand that people are so aghast they don’t believe what they are seeing. But this photo is not AI, it’s real. This is the staggering reality of what can happen when even well-meaning owners become overwhelmed – over-breeding can take over and conditions can spiral out of control.”

It is understood the owners in the case were considered “extremely vulnerable” by the charity, which decided not to prosecute them for any criminal offences.

The charity said cases of large numbers of animals being kept at one address could be linked to mental health struggles, the cost of living crisis, or breeders operating with poor practices. RSPCA experts say initially well-meaning individuals often see situations get out of hand.

Cocker spaniel Stevie, recovered in the rescue, is blind and deaf and needs to be rehomed. Photograph: RSPCA

Two of the dogs who were among the 250 found in the recent multi-animal rescue are Stevie and Sandy, both now looking for forever homes out of the RSPCA’s Southridge Animal Centre.

Last year, the charity responded to 4,200 incidents that involved at least 10 animals at the same address across England and Wales.

Jamie Grierson

The dark sickening reality of 'Horse Blood Farming'

 

Most people have never heard of horse blood farming, but once you do, it’s hard to forget.

It’s not something you’ll see on labels or in advertising. It operates largely out of sight, yet it plays a significant role in industrial farming systems around the world.

Behind closed doors, pregnant mares are repeatedly impregnated, their blood extracted in large volumes, and their pregnancies sometimes deliberately ended. All to produce a hormone used to increase productivity in factory farming.

This hormone is known as PMSG (also called eCG). While it occurs naturally in pregnant mares, the way it is commercially extracted raises serious and ongoing animal welfare concerns.

What is PMSG?

PMSG (eCG) is a hormone produced naturally in the blood of pregnant mares during the early stages of pregnancy.During this time, large volumes of blood are taken from them on a regular basis, which is then processed to extract the hormone.In some operations, pregnancies may be deliberately terminated so that mares can be re-impregnated sooner. This allows for multiple production cycles each year and maximises profit. 

The welfare concerns 

This system has been widely criticised by organisations including Animal Welfare Foundation and Tierschutzbund Zürich, who have been documenting conditions on blood farms for over a decade, with support from Eurogroup for Animals.Their findings raise serious concerns. High-volume blood extraction can leave mares weak, anaemic and vulnerable. Poor living conditions have been reported, with limited or no access to veterinary care. Repeated pregnancies and abortions raise profound ethical concerns, while a lack of consistent regulation in some countries allows these practices to continue.In major producing countries such as Argentina and Uruguay, investigations have documented particularly severe cases of mistreatment.

What recent investigations reveal

Between 2023 and 2025, new investigations by Animal Welfare Foundation and Tierschutzbund Zürich found little to no improvement in conditions.Mares were found injured, weak and emaciated, often without receiving appropriate veterinary care. Foals are systematically aborted so that mares can be re-impregnated, sometimes twice a year, increasing the physical toll on already exhausted animals.These findings have been brought together in a documentary film, featuring insights from veterinarians, legal experts and policymakers.At Animal Action Greece, equine welfare is at the heart of our work. Through our dedicated Equine Care Programme, we support working equines across Greece with veterinary treatment, farriery, dental care and long-term welfare support.We became aware of this issue through our partnership with Eurogroup for Animals. The reality of what is happening on blood farms was deeply shocking.It is also clear that many people are simply unaware this practice exists.That is why we are sharing this. By bringing attention to horse blood farming, we hope to help expose a system that relies on the repeated suffering of mares, and ensure it is no longer hidden from view.

Watch the investigation

If you want to understand the full reality of this industry, you can watch the documentary and trailer below:Documentary: 

https://youtu.be/n0CA1iNfuMA Trailer: https://youtu.be/ha8rRRbjofA

Learn more

To explore the latest findings and ongoing work to expose and end this practice, you can visit Animal Welfare Foundation’s dedicated page here:https://www.animal-welfare-foundation.org/en/projekte/blood-farms

Why this matters

The production of PMSG highlights a wider issue within industrial farming. Systems designed for maximum efficiency often come at the expense of animal welfare.What makes this particularly concerning is how hidden it is. Many people remain unaware that a hormone used to increase livestock productivity is linked to the repeated suffering of mares.

A call for change

Animal welfare organisations across Europe, including Eurogroup for Animals, are calling for stronger regulation and enforcement, greater transparency in supply chains, and an end to practices that rely on repeated harm to animals.Raising awareness is a crucial first step. The more people understand what happens behind the scenes, the harder it becomes for these practices to continue unnoticed.

• Animal Action Greece
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News from Elephant Havens in Botswana: heavy rain causing flooding in the elephant orphanage ( 28 babies) and a local community filling 6,000 sandbags ( video and photos)

 

                 

https://elephanthavens.org/our-team/  MEET THE TEAM

Dear Friends, Scott and I just returned from an exciting March visit full of firsts. As always, there is never a dull moment here at Elephant Havens, and the past few weeks have certainly reminded us just how dynamic life in the bush can be.  First is the rain. We have never seen rain like Botswana is experiencing during this rainy season. There is water everywhere and, with the land already saturated, it has no place to go. Plus, the annual floodwaters from Angola that supply the Delta is just now arriving, which means more and more water is coming every day.  All this rain has severely impacted access to our soft release area that is about six miles from our main orphanage. We simply had no way to drive there over the washed out road. Thankfully, our wonderful friends at Helicopter Horizons delivered food to the two men who are staying there making sure our fences are secure and our first ten ellies—the ones preparing for their release into the wild—are safe.  We watched as our team and the local community filled over 6,000 sandbags to repair washed out roads.  Many of the villagers brought corn from their gardens to share, and it became a caring community working together for a common goal. It was just wonderful to witness.  Elephant Havens also dedicated our new tractor with a dump bed trailer (courtesy of our wonderful benefactors at the Dallas Zoo) to the project. You can do a lot with strong backs and shovels—and even more with a big red tractor and trailer.  The recent floods have brought challenges but, along with it, stunning beauty. While the extra water has made some areas more difficult to navigate and required a bit of creative problem-solving from our team, it has also transformed the landscape into something truly exceptional. The bush is alive, vibrant, and full of new growth which, of course, is something our elephants are thoroughly enjoying. Speaking of enjoyment, the babies are absolutely thriving. With the abundance of fresh vegetation, they are indulging in what must feel like an endless buffet. Watching them explore new tastes and textures is a daily delight. Their playful energy and curiosity are constant reminders of why this work matters so deeply.  When I look at all the little ones in our care (28 in the orphanage and 10 already graduated to the soft release), I am reminded that these extraordinary animals would not be alive today without Elephant Havens. It is truly an honor to be part of this lifesaving work. At each visit, they teach me something new, and I still pinch myself that I get to spend so much time in their presence.

Sloth bear Gracie is the last bear in India that had to dance on a rope pierced through her muzzle: this is her story ........

 Home » Ending Years Of Torment For Sloth Bear Gracie

Sloth Bear Gracie is happy with her new life, but still using dancing steps that she learned as a cub forced to stand on hot plates lifting up one leg after the other trying to escape from the heat. 12 years later she is still dancing but free from ropes in her muzzle and hot plates under her feet.  

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Wildlife SOS rescued Gracie after a crucial call from the Jharkhand Forest Department.

The Jamtara Forest Division had seized a female sloth bear from the ‘dancing’ bear practice. They reached out to the Wildlife SOS team, who drove to Jamtara district to rescue and rehabilitate the bear at the Agra Bear Rescue Facility (ABRF).

Gracie is estimated to be somewhere between 10 and 12 years old, but for most of those years, she had been living with a captor and performing the cruel act that has long been declared illegal. Her muzzle was pierced for a rope to pass through, the tugging of which would control her and cause her so much pain that she would flinch. Fear and agony of the sloth bear was unfortunately sold to street audiences as a ‘dance’.

When our team first saw Gracie, they were confronted with a sight they hadn’t witnessed in years — a frightened, timid bear with a rope pierced through her muzzle, wincing in pain. [Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/ Chinmoy Swargiary]

When our team first laid eyes on Gracie, they were shaken. Another ‘dancing’ bear, whose suffering was written vividly across her face. Her left eye, milky white and unseeing, told a quiet story of old, untreated trauma. Having noticed wounds from the ropes she was tied and bound with, the medical team immediately began wound dressings during her transition from the rescue site to the centre. 

On Gracie’s first day at ABRF, it was evident that fear and anxiety caused her to make a loud sound if she observed anyone in close proximity. All of a sudden, Gracie would start moving in circles — standing on her hind legs, and beginning to jump. It looked like a performance. A lifetime spent performing on the streets whenever someone appeared has become a core memory rooted in torturous conditioning — it doesn’t leave the body or the mind quickly. Gracie did not do this because she wanted to. She did it because that’s what a person’s presence meant to her. Imagine being a baby bear and witnessing mother being killed by the poachers and afterwards the muzzle pierced with hot burning iron, through which a four feet rough rope is pierced! This four feet rope is what controls and torments life.

Before conducting any medical examination, and before the rope on her nose was touched, the team at ABRF allowed Gracie a few days simply to rest, to let the exhaustion of the journey settle, and to let the disorientation of a new environment ease out.

Gracie had been holding the rope in her own mouth while she moved around, perhaps to reduce the pulling sensation on her nose that caused her pain. In her quiet struggle, one understands how a voiceless animal is helplessly managing pain when it isn’t being taken away.

On Gracie’s first day at ABRF, it was evident that fear and anxiety caused her to make a loud sound if she observed anyone in close proximity. All of a sudden, Gracie would start moving in circles — standing on her hind legs, and beginning to jump. It looked like a performance. A lifetime spent performing on the streets whenever someone appeared has become a core memory rooted in torturous conditioning — it doesn’t leave the body or the mind quickly. Gracie did not do this because she wanted to. She did it because that’s what a person’s presence meant to her. Imagine being a baby bear and witnessing mother being killed by the poachers and afterwards the muzzle pierced with hot burning iron, through which a four feet rough rope is pierced! This four feet rope is what controls and torments life.

Before conducting any medical examination, and before the rope on her nose was touched, the team at ABRF allowed Gracie a few days simply to rest, to let the exhaustion of the journey settle, and to let the disorientation of a new environment ease out.

When the medical team finally approached her, they found out that Gracie’s muzzle rope had been there for so long that it had become embedded in her muzzle’s tissue. [Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/ Mradul Pathak]

Gracie had been holding the rope in her own mouth while she moved around, perhaps to reduce the pulling sensation on her nose that caused her pain. In her quiet struggle, one understands how a voiceless animal is helplessly managing pain when it isn’t being taken away.

Gracie’s Health Status

After initial days of rest and observation, Gracie was chemically immobilised for the safe removal of the firmly lodged muzzle rope. The veterinarians used the opportunity to also conduct a thorough health examination, including a full-body X-ray and an abdominal ultrasound, to understand the full extent of what years of captivity had done to her body.

The rope through the muzzle is one of the classic signs of a ‘dancing’ bear. A hot poker would be used to pierce a hole through the bear’s sensitive muzzle, through which a coarse rope would be passed. The constant pulling of this rope inflicted pain, forcing the bear into submission and obedience. [Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/ Mradul Pathak]

While her right eye’s vision is fine, Gracie’s left eye has significant corneal scarring. Therefore, she cannot see from it. In most cases with animals, invasive procedures tend to cause more stress than relief, and so, for Gracie, ocular lubricants were instantly prescribed instead to relieve her from discomfort. She was given probiotics for gastrointestinal distress, multivitamins and omega-3 supplementation. The wound on her muzzle, caused by the prolonged insertion of the rope, was observed and is being treated with regular dressing and medical care.

A corneal scarring in Gracie’s left eye had caused her to become blind in that eye. [Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/ Mradul Pathak]

The examinations revealed further concerns. X-rays indicated osteoarthritic changes in the hip region, specifically in the coxo-femoral joint, suggesting erosion of the articular cartilage, which is reflected in Gracie’s slightly staggered gait. An abdominal ultrasound revealed pathologies in the liver and gall bladder. Based on these findings, Gracie has been placed on hepatic supplements, joint support medication, and immunoboosters.

Gracie’s teeth, the incisors and canines, were crudely removed during her time in captivity. This is commonly done to a ‘dancing’ bear so that it doesn’t attack its owner. While Gracie can chew with her premolars and molars, she can’t bite into tough food. With this knowledge, caregivers at ABRF have been cutting juicy fruits like watermelon and papaya into small pieces to make eating easier and less uncomfortable for her.

Gracie would have been a baby when her teeth were smashed and broken to prevent her from attacking her captors. [Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/ Mradul Pathak]

Her appetite, however, was found to be low, and is now a primary concern for the team. Caregivers are patiently understanding Gracie’s likes and dislikes, and providing her with food keeping her preferences in mind. Gracie was used to being fed flatbreads in captivity, and so, the team is slowly introducing her to a nutritious diet of millet porridge for her overall well-being. What she seems to enjoy the most is fruit, milk, and honey — in fact, any food that is mixed with milk and honey. Both these ingredients are helping to soften and digest her meals better.

Gracie’s New Abode

As part of our rehabilitation protocol, Gracie is residing in a quiet, soothing space in the facility for her quarantine period. Minimum foot traffic and minimum noise is allowing her to peacefully get acclimatised to her new environment. Her enclosure is especially designed in a way that resembles a wilder and more natural environment than the human terrain she is used to, helping her to revive her natural instincts.  Understanding how her long years in human captivity propels anxiety when she encounters one, a single caregiver and one veterinarian are keeping a check on her well-being regularly. This is giving Gracie a chance, and time, to familiarise herself with them and their dedicated care. 

For a bear rescued from years of distress, establishing  trust in human care is not a secondary concern, it is the foundation of caregiving. And to create this as an everlasting bond requires intense patience and unconditional affection. 

Gracie is, for the first time, experiencing compassionate care. One day, her caregiver heard a peculiar sound, one that surprised him, but brought him immense happiness. Gracie was emitting a low, humming sound that bears make when they’re feeling comfortable and content. While it can be compared to a cat’s purr, we’d like to call it the ‘bear’s song’. This was the first sign of healing that Gracie has reassured us with. Though she still has much further to go in this healing journey, for now, she is in a better place than where she has always been.