Eleven puppies were abandoned in a park in Somerset, with three already dead by the time a member of the public found them on Monday morning. The animals were discovered in Snowdon Park in Chard at around 08:30 BST, and the RSPCA said the puppies were only hours old when they were left there.

One of the dead puppies had a wound across its neck, the charity said. The surviving dogs have since been treated by vets and are now being hand reared by foster carers in their homes. The RSPCA is asking anyone with information, including the person who abandoned the puppies, to come forward.

The case lands as the charity says it is caring for a record number of animals, while cruelty and neglect numbers are rising. It added that its centres are full, forcing it to rely on emergency boarding kennels, catteries and stables to house animals that need immediate care.

Lewis Taylor said the puppies had been dumped at the very moment they needed urgent help and care, adding that there is never an excuse for abandoning animals in this way. The charity said the puppies were too young to tell what breed they were, but that age offered little protection from the cold, hunger and shock that followed their abandonment.

The question now is not what happened to the puppies, but who left them in the park before dawn and whether anyone saw it happen. For the dogs that survived, the next stage is already under way in foster homes; for the RSPCA, the case is another example of how quickly neglect can turn fatal when animals are left without care.