Witnesses of animal abuse in Manitoba can now call the Crime Stoppers tip line to report it.

Crime Stoppers has partnered with PAW Tipsters, a non-profit charity that aims to combat animal abuse, to collect tips regarding animal abuse cases, including puppy mills and dog-fighting rings, Winnipeg police announced Thursday.

Anyone with information on any crime, including animal abuse, can call Crime Stoppers at (204) 786-TIPS (8477).

Tips will be received through Crime Stoppers and then forwarded to the appropriate agencies. PAW Tipsters will hand out cash rewards of up to $2,000, depending on the outcome of the investigations, according to police.

"If you don't say something, who's going to, right?" Yvonne Russell, a PAW Tipsters spokesperson, told reporters in Winnipeg.

"Animals can't speak for themselves, and I think it's important that people just kind of put aside any kind of fears … that someone might find out who it is, or this and that, and just phone it in."

Russell said she believes it's the first time in Canada that a tip line to report animal abuse has teamed up with police.

The launch of the tip line comes days after a three-month-old kitten was struck with a baseball bat in Winnipeg's North End this week and had to be euthanized due to its injuries.

Police have charged a 23-year-old woman and are looking for a 22-year-old woman in connection with the incident.

In another case last week, a nine-week-old puppy survived being thrown out of a moving van in the West End. The young female Australian shepherd mix, named Mandy by animal services agents, has since found a new home.