Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

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Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Type	Charity
Founded	1839
Headquarters	Scotland
Industry	Animal welfare
Employees	Unknown
Website	http://www.scottishspca.org/

The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (also known as the Scottish SPCA and SSPCA) is a charity to promote animal welfare in Scotland. It was founded in Edinburgh in 1839 and one of its first aims was to improve the welfare of cart-horses. Over the next century and a half the charity grew and merged with other local SPCAs, such as the Dundee SPCA, Glasgow and West of Scotland SPCA and Aberdeen APCA. It now has 12 animal welfare centres which treat over 15,000 animals a year, with a new centre and relocated headquarters planned near the site of its wildlife centre in Dunfermline, Fife. Here, the society is internationally renowned for its treatment of seabirds caught in oil slicks.

Inspectors of the Scottish SPCA have a special legal dispensation to prosecute people under animal welfare legislation.

In promoting prevention of cruelty, the Scottish SPCA is unique in running a free visiting education service for schools, tying in extensively with the Scottish curriculum. Since devolution the Scottish SPCA has been at the forefront of campaigning in the Scottish Parliament for improved animal protection laws in Scotland and were prominent advisors on the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Bill which passed through the Scottish Parliament in May 2006.

The Scottish SPCA is often confused with the RSPCA. Although the two societies both work with animal welfare, the RSPCA only operates in England and Wales, while the Scottish SPCA covers Scotland.