A hard-hitting animated RSPCA video will be coming to TV screens after going viral online.

The video, which is a stark illustration of animal cruelty, has been viewed more than 70,000 times in just 72 hours since its release, and anticipation grows as it is set to appear across TV screens nationwide.

The clip is 30 seconds long and launched as part of the 'No Animal Deserves Cruelty Appeal'.

The appeal comes as RSPCA gears up to deal with more animal cruelty in summer than any other time of the year.

Last year, between June and August, the charity received a report about an animal cruelty incident every five minutes.

The distressing new film aims to echo the real-life stories of animal resilience that the charity witnesses, as it braces for a surge of cruelty reports during the summer season.

The animation portrays the journey of a young dog, left without food or water and living in fear of violence from its owner.

Thankfully, the pup is rescued by an RSPCA officer, reflecting the tireless efforts to save animals that take place daily.

Astonishingly, RSPCA received an average of 285 reports of cruelty against animals every single day last summer.

Notably, a shorter version of the film, a 15-second clip, garnered more than 525,000 views on YouTube in just ten days.

The animated film was uploaded to the RSPCA's YouTube channel on July 4.

Karen Colman, who leads the RSPCA welfare oversight team, said: "In summer, we receive more reports of cruelty than at any other time of year - and our inspectorate officers are braced for another very challenging period ahead.

"This powerful new film highlights perfectly what our officers are doing on the frontline every single day.

"Since the animation went live, we’ve been really heartened by the tens of thousands of people who've watched it and shown their support.

"No animal deserves heartbreaking abuse. Animals are like us: they feel desperation, confusion and terror - but I am immensely thankful that our dedicated officers are on the frontline each and every day rescuing animals from deliberate cruelty, neglect and mistreatment."

"But we can’t do this alone," said Ms Colman.

"That’s why we’ve launched our summer cruelty appeal because it is vital that we all take action together to keep reaching even more animals this summer."

The RSPCA encourages everyone to support the charity by watching and sharing the film on social media. It will be available to view on YouTube, Nextdoor social platform, ITVX and Channel 4's on-demand platforms until the end of August.

For more information on the RSPCA’s No Animal Deserves Cruelty Appeal, or to report animal cruelty or neglect, visit the charity's website.