RSPCA official charity logo

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. It is funded by voluntary donations and is one of the largest charities in the UK, with income of £100 million in 2005. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about charitable organizations. ... Animal welfare is the viewpoint that animals, especially those under human care, should not suffer. ...

Founded as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) 1824, it adopted its current name after being granted its royal status by Queen Victoria in 1840. It has inspired the creation of similar groups in other regions, starting with the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Northern Ireland and including the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA or SSPCA), RSPCA Australia, the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RNZSPCA), and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the United States. Queen Victoria redirects here. ... The Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) is an animal charity based and operating in Northern Ireland. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (also know as the Scottish SPCA and SSPCA) is a charity to promote animal welfare in Scotland. ... The first meeting of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Australia (RSPCA Australia) was held in February 1981. ... The Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (or RNZSPCA / SPCA in daily usage) is an animal protection charity based in Auckland, New Zealand. ... American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (usually referred to as the ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing the abuse of animals. ...

History

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in 1824 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.^[1] Colonel Richard Humanity Dick Martin (15 January 1754–6 January 1834), was an Irish politician and animal rights activist. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... William Wilberforce (24 August 1759–29 July 1833) was a British politician and philanthropist. ... The Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822 (3 Geo. ... Type Bicameral Houses House of Commons House of Lords Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin MP Speaker of the House of Lords Hélène Hayman, PC Members 1377 (646 Commons, 731 Peers) Political groups Labour Party Conservative Party Liberal Democrats Scottish National Party Plaid Cymru Democratic Unionist... is the 203rd day of the year (204th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the first animal welfare society in any country, was thus born. It was granted its royal status by Queen Victoria in 1840 to become the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.^[2] Queen Victoria redirects here. ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

William Wilberforce was already famous from his work to abolish slavery in the British Empire. Slave redirects here. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...

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.^[3] Inspector is a rank in many police forces. ... A committee is a (relatively) small group that can serve one of several functions: Governance: in organizations too large for all the members to participate in decisions affecting the organization as a whole, a committee (such as a Board of Directors) is given the power to make decisions. ... Look up Market in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For the Batman villain, see Abattoir (comics). ... For other uses, see Coach. ... The Reverend is an honorary prefix added to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. ...

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.^[4] // Electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday Evolutionary theorist Charles Darwins expedition on the HMS Beagle. ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Guinea coin of 1663 was the first British machine-struck gold coin. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

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. The Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (citation 5 & 6 Will. ... Year 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) // January 31 - United States orders all Indigenous peoples in the United States to move onto reservations February 2 - The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed. ... Etymologically, Vivisection refers to the dissection of, or any cutting or surgery upon, a living organism. ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Sir George Greenwood (1850–1928), born George Granville Greenwood, was the second son of John Greenwood, Q.C. Educated at Eton, he was in the select for the Newcastle scholarship and then matriculated to Trinity College, Cambridge. ...

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.

Structure Today

The 1830s introduction of Inspectors also encouraged local supporters of the RSPCA to band together. Supporters were able to form a local 'Branch', and if the Branch raised sufficient funds then it could employ an Inspector. Today there are 172 local Branches of the RSPCA.

Branches

Local Branches are responsible for a range of animal facilities, depending upon the fund-raising capacity of the Branch. These local facilities include almost 100 animal clinics and welfare centres (including 4 specialist wildlife centres). The branches run, between them, 207 charity shops for fund raising purposes. Local branches are also responsible for local staffing. There is a certain reliance on volunteer staff members for fund-raising, secretarial, and administrative duties, whilst other staff must be employed. Local staff include: Veterinary Staff: Hospital & Clinic Assistants, Veterinary Nurses, Veterinary Surgeons (almost all are full-time). General Staff: Fund-raisers, administrators, secretaries (a large proportion are volunteers). Animal Care Assistants: ACAs, senior ACAs, Animal Centre Managers (many full-time, but supported by volunteers). Animal Collection Officers: ACOs wear a distinctive green uniform, and are required to demonstrate both animal-care skills and driving skills, although there are no specific educational qualifications (all are full-time). Staff or volunteers wishing to train as Inspectors are required to demonstrate certain minimum standards in formal education.

Groups

Local Branches, their staff, and the Inspectors who work in them, report through a structured chain of command, divided geographically into 'Groups'. A Group is headed by a Chief Inspector. Each Chief Inspector might typically be responsible for around 7 Inspectors, 3 ACOs, and 1 specialist Inspector (Port Inspector, or Market Inspector, for example) working with several local Branches.^[5]

Regions

The Groups are collected into five 'Regions' (North, East, Wales & West, South & South West, South East), each headed by a Superintendent. Despite being geographically large areas, the regional Superintendents are expected to have a broad understanding of operations throughout their regions.^[6]

National

At the national level, there is a 'National Control Centre', which receives all calls from members of the public, and tasks local Inspectors to respond to urgent calls by means of a mobile telephone and voicebox deployment system. Additionally the 'National Headquarters' located at Horsham in West Sussex houses several general 'Departments', each with a departmental head, usually a Chief Superintendent. These national Departments include, for example, 'Training', 'Operations', and 'Special Operations'. The Chief Superintendents, as Heads of Department, report to the Society's 'Directors'. Finally, the Directors report to a national 'Chief Executive' officer. For other uses, see Horsham (disambiguation). ... West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex (with Brighton and Hove), Hampshire and Surrey. ...

Rank Insignia

United Kingdom RSPCA rank insignia

Rank	General Staff	Animal Care Assistant	Animal Collection Officer	Trainee Inspector	Inspector	Chief Inspector	Superintendent	Chief Superintendent
Insignia . (Rank slide above) . (Shirt breast below)
The appointments from 'Trainee Inspector' upwards are shown with white shirt fronts. In practice, holders of these grades often wear a more casual, working uniform, with a standard blue RSPCA shirt, reserving the white shirt to more formal occasions. Other RSPCA staff, including Animal Care Assistants, are usually distinguished by the blue RSPCA shirt[7] (except 'Animal Collection Officers' who wear a green RSPCA shirt), although some opt for a more casual dark blue polo shirt with RSPCA embroidered logo.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. ...

Mission statement and charitable status

The RSPCA is a registered charity (no. 219099) that receives no lottery or state aid. Its £87 million annual running costs are funded exclusively by voluntary donations and legacies.

The RSPCA as a charity will, by all lawful means, prevent cruelty, promote kindness to and alleviate suffering of animals.

The RSPCA intends to achieve its mission by:

• effecting strong branch, regional, national and international organisations dedicated to providing a public service, delivering effective relief of animal suffering and enforcing the law
• working tirelessly to reduce the harmful impact of human activities on animals through education, campaigning and the application of ethics, science and law
• striving for the highest levels of efficiency, effectiveness and integrity
• urging that, save where the public benefit requires, humankind should not intentionally cause suffering to any animal when it is not for its own benefit, or cause suffering by neglect. This applies whatever the animal, or the situation in which it finds itself.^[8]

Functions

An RSPCA inspector has no statutory powers. They may not enter anyone's premises without permission. They can seek assistance from the local police force whihc may ask a magistrate for a search warrant. Local authority employees working for animal welfare, Government Animal Health Officers and the police have powers to enter in an emergency under the Animal Welfare Act, but normally require a warrant.^[9] The RSPCA has no powers to prosecute other than by bringing a private prosecution against the those it believes have caused neglect to an animal. ^[10] A search warrant is a written warrant issued by judge or magistrate which authorizes the police to conduct a search of a person or location for evidence of a criminal offense and seize the evidence. ... The Animal Welfare Act is a law passed by government to protect the welfare of animals. ... Private Prosecutions are a feature of the UK and US legal systems. ...

The RSPCA operates a number of sites that can hold lost, neglected, injured or otherwise homeless animals. Only if an animal cannot be returned or re-homed is it put down. The majority of animals euthaninised by the RSPCA are sick or injured to an extent that it is the only humane course of action. Put down redirects here. ... ...

Controversy

The charity has been criticised for preparing witnesses before trials through the use of pro-forma statements. ^[11] The term pro forma (occasionally written proforma) comes from a Latin phrase meaning, as a matter of form. Its meaning depends on the context in which it is used. ...

Hindu groups have expressed concern over the killing of a cow (named Gangotri) by the RSPCA. The cow was being kept at the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple in Hertfordshire when, on December 13, 2007, RSPCA inspectors and a government vet arrived at the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple in Hertfordshire and administered a lethal injection to the animal. The cow had damaged her hind muscles and could not stand, resulting in bed sores, although she was not suffering from any disease. ^[12] The temple, donated in 1973 by George Harrison, runs The Cow Protection Project where cows and bulls are allowed to die naturally. The RSPCA claimed that a cow was killed to prevent further suffering, however Temple officials claim that: is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Bedsores, also called pressure sores or decubitus ulcers, are ulcers (sores) caused by prolonged pressure or rubbing on vulnerable areas of the body. ... For other persons named George Harrison, see George Harrison (disambiguation). ...

"Two veterinary surgeons, one who lived locally and the other a specialist based in Oxford, were regularly supervising the cow’s medical treatment. They were administering medicine themselves, and also guiding the daily care being given by the community members. It is normal farming practise that once a cow is down or cannot walk, she will be killed by the vet because, within a few weeks, physical complications will arise that most farmers don’t have the time to deal with. As a religious community, we made the choice to care, and those two vets chose to support us. Two other vets, who were unfamiliar with the way we work with animals, one of whom was merely a passer-by, gave different opinions. At first, the chief vet responsible for animal welfare in the appropriate government department, known as Defra, also gave a recommendation that the cow be killed. When he made a personal visit to the temple however, and saw how the animal was being cared for, he informed us that no further action would be taken".^[13]

The temple officials are considering legal action against the RSPCA over its actions^[14].

On December 26, 2007, about 200 people protested at the RSPCA headquarters in Horsham, West Sussex while another 700 Hindus held prayers at the Manor. ^[15] is the 360th day of the year (361st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

See also

• Scottish SPCA, the equivalent organisation in Scotland.
• Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (links to other SPCA organizations worldwide)
• Eurogroup for Animals represents organisations such as the RSPCA at the European Union level
• Animal rights
• Cruelty to animals
• Humane Society
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a charity to promote animal welfare. ... The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is any of a number of societies whose operations include protecting and providing shelter to animals in danger. ... A man holds a monkey with a limb missing by a rope around her neck, a scene epitomizing the idea of animal ownership. ... Cruelty to animals refers to the treatment or standards of care that cause unwarranted or unnecessary suffering or harm to animals. ... A humane society is a group that aims to stop animal and human suffering due to cruelty or other reasons. ... The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is Europes largest wildlife conservation charity. ...

References

• Who Cares For Animals: 150 years of the RSPCA by Antony Brown. ^[16]
• Animal Experimentation: A Guide to the Issues Vaughan Monamy, Cambridge University Press

External links

• RSPCA England/Wales
• Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986
• Intelligent Giving profile of RSPCA
• Hindus stage protest after Royal SPCA killed their sacred cow

Footnotes