Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Encyclopedia
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare
organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals
cases, and attempt to find new homes for unwanted animals they feel are adoptable. Policies regarding animal euthanasia
, handling feral
cats, and similar issues vary by shelter.
In 2006, SPCA International was founded in the United States to implement outreach programs, emergency financial aid for organizations, and recognition grants on an international level. It is responsible for Operation Baghdad Pups, which safely transports pets adopted by US troops while stationed overseas. Online, it runs public discussion forums, plus helps individuals find information, advocate against abuse, and connects them with nearby shelters. In line with its name, it also offers assistance opening animal cruelty investigations and offers a "Cruelty Crime Stopper" reward for tips that help lead to convictions.
United Kingdom
United States
In the United States, all organizations using the name SPCA are independent; there is no umbrella organization. Some of the more notable organizations include:
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur, although opinions differ with...
cases, and attempt to find new homes for unwanted animals they feel are adoptable. Policies regarding animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
, handling feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
cats, and similar issues vary by shelter.
In 2006, SPCA International was founded in the United States to implement outreach programs, emergency financial aid for organizations, and recognition grants on an international level. It is responsible for Operation Baghdad Pups, which safely transports pets adopted by US troops while stationed overseas. Online, it runs public discussion forums, plus helps individuals find information, advocate against abuse, and connects them with nearby shelters. In line with its name, it also offers assistance opening animal cruelty investigations and offers a "Cruelty Crime Stopper" reward for tips that help lead to convictions.
Africa
- Cape of Good Hope Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
- Zimbabwe Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsZimbabwe Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsZimbabwe Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing the abuse of animals....
- Kenya Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Asia
- Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsSingapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsThe Singapore SPCA is a registered animal welfare charity that relies on donations of supporters.-Background:Until 1947 when a newspaper report dated 3 October 1878 was found mentioning the Singapore SPCA, no information was available on when and how the Singapore SPCA was set up.After the Japanese...
- Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Hong Kong)Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Hong Kong)The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a charity for animals in Hong Kong.-Background:Before 1997, it was named the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ...
- Taiwan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
- Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Selangor, MalaysiaSPCA Selangor, MalaysiaThe Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Selangor, Malaysia is a non-profit animal shelter in Selangor, Malaysia that aims to help animals that cannot defend themselves. The SPCA Selangor was founded by Ruth Spiers in 1958....
- Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
- Sarawak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia
- Thai Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals
- Visakha Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (VisakhapatnamVisakhapatnamVisakhapatnam is a major sea port on the south east coast of India. With a population of approximately 1.7 million, it is the second largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India after Kolkata and Chennai. According to the history, the city was...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
)
Europe
- Société protectrice des animaux in FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- SPCA Norge in NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
- Straż dla Zwierząt in PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
- Romanian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (R.S.P.C.A) — RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
United Kingdom
- Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsRoyal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsThe Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a charity in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. In 2009 the RSPCA investigated 141,280 cruelty complaints and collected and rescued 135,293 animals...
(RSPCA) — England and WalesEngland and WalesEngland and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom... - Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
- Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsUlster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsThe Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is an animal charity based and operating in Northern Ireland. The other SPCA societies operating in the United Kingdom are the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty...
— Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west... - Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsJersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsThe Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit organisation based in Jersey, with the aims of preventing cruelty, promoting knowledge, and providing for aged, sick, lost and unwanted animals within Jersey...
North America
Canada- Canadian Federation of Humane SocietiesCanadian Federation of Humane SocietiesThe Canadian Federation of Humane Societies is the only national animal welfare organization representing humane societies, SPCAs, and animal rescue organizations across the country...
- Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsOntario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsOntario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is the organizations whose operations include protecting and providing shelter to animals in danger in the province of Ontario. OSPCA is a member of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.OSPCA was founded in 1873 to protect the welfare...
United States
In the United States, all organizations using the name SPCA are independent; there is no umbrella organization. Some of the more notable organizations include:
- American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsAmerican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsThe American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing cruelty towards animals...
- New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsNew Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsThe New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a law enforcement agency in the state of New Jersey that focuses on humane law enforcement...
- Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Monterey County, CaliforniaSociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Monterey County, CaliforniaThe SPCA of Monterey County is a nonprofit, independent, donor-supported humane society that has been serving the animals and people of Monterey County since 1905. It is notable for its collaborative programs with other local non-profit civic organizations...
- San Francisco SPCASan Francisco SPCAThe San Francisco SPCA is an animal shelter, a spay/neuter clinic, and a full service public animal hospital located in San Francisco.-History:...
- Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - one of the original featured SPCA's on the Animal PlanetAnimal PlanetAnimal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
Network show Animal Cops, Houston
Oceania
- Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsRoyal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsThe Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a New Zealand charitable society who work to provide food and shelter for abandoned and neglected animals and to promote humane treatment of animals.- History :The New Zealand SPCA was formed by settlers from England in...
- Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals AustraliaRSPCA AustraliaRSPCA Australia is an Australian organisation that promotes animal welfare. It is funded in part by the Australian Government but relies on corporate sponsorship, fundraising events and voluntary donations for its income.RSPCA Australia defines its purpose as being the leading authority in animal...