World Society for the Protection of Animals
Encyclopedia
The World Society for the Protection of Animals (commonly WSPA) is an international non-profit animal welfare
organization and also a federation of such organisations and active in over 150 countries with more than 1000 member societies.
, Brazil, Canada
, Colombia
, Costa Rica
, Denmark
, Germany
, the Netherlands
, New Zealand
, Tanzania
, Thailand
, United States
and United Kingdom
. The main office is in London.
and abuse of animals in general, they also campaign against specific kinds of cruel treatment and abuse, such as bullfighting
, bear baiting and dancing, whaling
, the capturing and keeping of dolphins, intensive farming
of animals, and the treatment of working equines and Pet|companion animals.
WSPA's work with bears is particularly well known, partly due to the Libearty campaign (which began in 1992). They currently work on ending bear farming, bear baiting, and the use of dancing bears. WSPA also funds and advises member societies working on bear cub rehabilitation and bear sanctuaries. It can be said that thanks to the WSPA bear baiting campaign this blood sport
has largely been stopped in Pakistan
.
Besides these specific campaigns, the WSPA also advises governments on and promotes legislation
which would improve animal welfare. Their international campaign for a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare
(UDAW) aims to take a set of principles on respect and protection for animals to the United Nations
for endorsement.
They also design educational programmes on how to work with and care for animals, including programmes for veterinarians, animal owners and children.
, where the WSPA provided shelter, food and medical care for stray animals. The WSPA also ensured that evacuees from Hurricane Paloma in Cuba
brought their companions. The WSPA was the first animal welfare organization to start work in Myanmar
after Cyclone Nargis
hit in 2008.
The WSPA also funds and supports mobile clinics that neuter and spay stray cats and dogs, particularly in countries with ineffective and/or cruel methods of animal control
. Mobile clinics also provide medical care for horses in Latin America
where the owners of the animals often do not have the money and/or knowledge to give the animals the care they need.
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 and also a federation of such organisations and active in over 150 countries with more than 1000 member societies.
Organization
WSPA has thirteen offices, located in: AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Brazil, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The main office is in London.
History
The WSPA resulted from the merger of two animal welfare organizations in 1981, namely the World Federation for the Protection of Animals (WFPA) founded in 1953 and the International Society for the Protection of Animals (ISPA) founded in 1959.Campaigns
Though WSPA is against the cruel treatmentCruelty 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...
and abuse of animals in general, they also campaign against specific kinds of cruel treatment and abuse, such as bullfighting
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Latin American countries , in which one or more bulls are baited in a bullring for sport and entertainment...
, bear baiting and dancing, whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
, the capturing and keeping of dolphins, intensive farming
Intensive farming
Intensive farming or intensive agriculture is an agricultural production system characterized by the high inputs of capital, labour, or heavy usage of technologies such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers relative to land area....
of animals, and the treatment of working equines and Pet|companion animals.
WSPA's work with bears is particularly well known, partly due to the Libearty campaign (which began in 1992). They currently work on ending bear farming, bear baiting, and the use of dancing bears. WSPA also funds and advises member societies working on bear cub rehabilitation and bear sanctuaries. It can be said that thanks to the WSPA bear baiting campaign this blood sport
Blood sport
Bloodsport or blood sport is any sport or entertainment that involves violence against animals.Bloodsport includes coursing or beagling, combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, or other activities...
has largely been stopped in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Besides these specific campaigns, the WSPA also advises governments on and promotes legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
which would improve animal welfare. Their international campaign for a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare
Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare
The Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare is a proposed inter-governmental agreement to recognise that animals are sentient, to prevent cruelty and reduce suffering, and to promote standards on the welfare of animals such as farm animals, companion animals, animals in scientific research,...
(UDAW) aims to take a set of principles on respect and protection for animals to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
for endorsement.
They also design educational programmes on how to work with and care for animals, including programmes for veterinarians, animal owners and children.
Animal care
Besides campaigning, the WSPA also actively helps animals in need, such as during the aftermath of a natural disaster or war. Many pets become strays when their owners have died or fled and these animals are often in need of food, shelter and medical care. Wild animals often also suffer from the consequences of natural disasters. The loss of draft and farm animals in disaster situations impacts local livelihoods and food security, making recovery harder for the human community. Disasters responded to in recent history include the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, where the WSPA provided shelter, food and medical care for stray animals. The WSPA also ensured that evacuees from Hurricane Paloma in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
brought their companions. The WSPA was the first animal welfare organization to start work in Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
after Cyclone Nargis
Cyclone Nargis
Cyclone Nargis , was a strong tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Burma. The cyclone made landfall in Burma on Friday, May 2, 2008, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 138,000 fatalities...
hit in 2008.
The WSPA also funds and supports mobile clinics that neuter and spay stray cats and dogs, particularly in countries with ineffective and/or cruel methods of animal control
Animal population control
Animal population control is the practice of artificially altering the size of any animal population besides humans. It typically refers to the act of limiting the size of an animal population so that it remains manageable, as opposed to the act of protecting a species from excessive rates of...
. Mobile clinics also provide medical care for horses in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
where the owners of the animals often do not have the money and/or knowledge to give the animals the care they need.
External links
- WSPA International website
- WSPA Brazil website
- WSPA USA website
- WSPA CA website
- WSPA UK website
- WSPA Latin America website in Spanish
- WSPA Australia website
- WSPA New Zealand website
- WSPA Denmark website
- WSPA Sweden website
- WSPA Germany website
- WSPA local websites and branches
- Intelligent Giving profile of WSPA UK
- Animals Matter: UDAW campaign website