Two dead guinea pigs have been found dumped in a cage at a Wimbledon park, as animal abandonment reaches a three-year high.
The cage was discovered at the entrance to Haydons Road Recreation Ground on January 2.
The guinea pigs, one brown and the other brown and white, were found by a member of the public, in a cage covered with a blanket.
Jade Guthrie, an animal rescue officer from the RSPCA, said: "These poor guinea pigs had clearly been abandoned at the entrance of the park.
"We don’t know if they were dead or alive when they were dumped."
Ms Guthrie said that the cage was spotted a few days before RSPCA was called, suggesting the animals may have been there for about three days.
She added: "If they were dumped alive it would have been an incredibly distressing death, out in the cold and left to fend for themselves.
"Abandoning animals is never the answer."
Animal neglect and abandonment rates are at the highest levels seen in three years, according to the RSPCA.
The animal welfare charity has seen a steep increase in calls regarding abandoned animals.
Last year, the organisation received 20,999 calls, a number greater than the combined calls for 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Ms Guthrie made an appeal to the public for information after this sad discovery.
She said: "Someone out there must know who these pets belonged to.
"We’d urge people with first-hand information to contact our inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018, quoting incident number 01203451".
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