A GUINEA pig died after being dumped last week, in the second incident of guinea pig abandonment in Salisbury this month.

On Saturday (September 17) Animal Welfare Officer Laura Wheeler was called to a guinea pig on a footpath on Milton Road, Bulford, Salisbury. Sadly the guinea pig had already died.

AWO Wheeler said: “There was no note with the cage and no CCTV in the area so we are appealing for witnesses or anyone who recognises this guinea pig to come forward to help us understand what has happened here.

“There was no food or water in the indoor cage, only a small scattering of straw and inside was filthy and covered with faeces and urine.

"It looks like the poor guinea pig could have been there days before anyone saw him.

At the beginning of September the animal welfare charity revealed they were called to a number of guinea pigs found huddled under a bush in Amesbury.

AWO Wheeler said this incident was "a very different situation" to earlier in the month, and that the charity is not linking the incidents at this stage.

She added: "It does highlight just how frequently we are seeing animals abandoned."

Anyone who recognises this guinea pig or who may have seen someone abandoning it can contact the charity’s appeal line on 0300 123 8018.

Every year, the RSPCA is called out to rescue hundreds of animals across England and Wales after their owners abandon them and, in many cases, leave them for dead.

In 2015, RSPCA inspectors collected 472 small furries (including guinea pigs) who were abandoned.

Visit www.rspca.org.uk/abandonment.