The RSPCA has reported an "alarming increase" in the amount of intentional cruelty against animals in Norfolk.
Numbers from the animal welfare charity show 206 incidents of animal beatings were recorded in Norfolk last year – up from 156 in 2021.
It said the rise of almost a third was "heartbreaking", and suggested the end of the pandemic and the soaring cost of living as possible factors.
Nicola Walker, representing RSPCA branches in Norfolk, said: "Sadly the county is reflecting what we're seeing nationally.
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“You feel really sad because you know that there are so many animals out there that have been suffering, and any animal lover knows how heart-breaking that is to think about."
Figures show reports of animal beatings in 2022 across the whole of England and Wales rose by 22pc.
The number of animals killed in "suspicious circumstances" went up from 775 in 2021 to 891 in 2021.
Cases investigated in Norfolk included Gracie, an abandoned dog found in a "horrific state" at a camping site in Waxham, and Poppy, a bulldog with open weeping wounds discovered in Marshland St James.
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RSPCA prosecutions saw a Dereham man banned from keeping small animals while a case against a woman for alledgely causing unnecessary suffering to eight ponies is on-going.
The RSPCA said the increase was “alarming”.
Dermot Murphy, inspectorate commissioner at the charity, said: "While we don’t know for certain why there has been an increase in reports of cruelty, the cost-of-living crisis and the post-pandemic world we live in have created an animal welfare crisis with more people getting pets with potentially less time and money to care for them."
Animal cruelty cases peak in the summer months with more than 1,000 reports nationwide last August - which equated to 35 incidents every day.
The RSPCA has launched a Cancel Out Cruelty campaign to prevent what it calls "another summer of suffering".
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