Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

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The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity in England, Wales, and Australia that promotes animal welfare. It is funded by voluntary donations and is one of the largest charities in the UK, with income of £89.7 million of the year ended 31 December 2004. Since its founding as the SPCA in 1824 it has inspired the creation of similar, but independent organisations in other countries including the Scottish SPCA, RSPCA Australia and the ASPCA in the USA.

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[edit] History

The English/Welsh RSPCA was founded by a group of twenty-two reformers led by Richard Martin MP (who would thereby earn the nickname Humanity Dick), William Wilberforce MP and the Reverend Arthur Broome originally as a society to support the working of Richard Martin's Act. This Act had been passed in Parliament on 22 July 1822 and was against cruelty to farm animals, particularly cattle. The group assembled at the "Old Slaughters" Coffee House in London to create a society with the will and authority to enforce the new law. The SPCA, the first animal welfare society in any country was thus born and was granted its royal status by Queen Victoria in 1840.

William Wilberforce was already famous from his work to abolish slavery in the British Empire.

At first the organisation did not employ Inspectors. A committee inspected the markets, slaughterhouses and the conduct of city coachmen. Rev Arthur Broome, from his own funds, employed a Mr Wheeler and his assistant, Charles Teasdall. In 1824 they brought sixty three offenders before the Courts.

In the late 1830s the Society began the tradition of the Inspector, which is the image best known of the RSPCA today. By 1841 there were five Inspectors, each paid a guinea a week, based in London, who travelled to various parts of the country bringing suspected offenders before the Courts.

RSPCA lobbied parliament throughout the 19th century resulting in a number of pieces of legislation. The Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 amended Martin's Act and outlawed baiting. In 1876 the Cruelty to Animals Act was passed to control animal experimentation. In 1911 Parliament passed Sir George Greenwood's Animal Protection Act.

Since then the RSPCA in England/Wales, in Australia and the other independent SPCA groups around the world have continued to play an active role, both in the creation of animal welfare legislation and in its enforcement. By the 1970s the work of the RSPCA was considered by many to have lost its radical force and the animal rights movement claimed to have taken over the struggle to improve the lot of animals. Thus began a period of progressive dialogue between the RSPCA and the more radical factions. The dialogue continues as of 2005.

Among its campaigns, the RSPCA has continued to campaign for the abolition of hunting with dogs in the UK. Since this was partially outlawed in 2005 (with the Hunting Act 2004) (earlier in Scotland), it has been reported that the organisation may now turn its focus to campaigning for a similar ban on game shooting and to questioning the proposed culling of badgers. Some supporters have challenged the RSPCA over these campaigns and, in common with many other major charities that also engage in campaigning, question whether such activities represent a proper use even of a tiny proportion of their charitable funds.

On 12 March 2006, The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that "the RSPCA is being investigated over claims that it has abused its charitable status with its controversial 'political' campaign against a proposed badger cull". The Charity Commission, which regulates charities, is reportedly looking into allegations that the society has breached guidelines by getting too involved in political activities. [1] On 27 September 2006 the charity was found to have made "untrue and unsubstantiated" claims in a national advertising campaign to solicit public support against possible badger culls. [2][3]

[edit] References

  • Animal Experimentation: A Guide to the Issues Vaughan Monamy, Cambridge University Press

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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