The RSPCA is 200 years old this year.
The founding members of what became the world-famous animal welfare organisation – anti-slavery campaigners William Wilberforce, Richard ‘Humanity Dick’ Martin and theologist Arthur Broome – first met in The Old Slaughter Coffee Shop in London in 1824 and resolved to work to improve animals’ lives. Since then, it has been an active promoter of animal welfare legislation such as the 1835 Pease’s Act, which prohibited cruelty to dogs and other domestic animals, outlawed bear-baiting and cock-fighting and insisted on better standards for slaughter houses, and the 1911 Protection of Animals Act. During the First World War, the organisation set up 13 animal hospitals to care for horses injured during service, including the provision of over 200 animal ambulances.
While the foundations on which the charity was born – such as life-saving frontline work, prevention and education initiatives, and being a campaigning voice calling for better welfare for all animals – are still being maintained, today the RSPCA is also facing new challenges such as the cost of living crisis, the rise in industrial farming, climate change, war, loss of wildlife, and the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, according to organisation.
As a result, the RSPCA is using the occasion of its 200th anniversary to recruit a million members of the public to help them “create a better world for every animal” during 2024.
Animal neglect and abandonment is at a three-year high – In 2023, the RSPCA received 72,050 reports about animal abandonment and neglect – higher than in 2022, 2021 and 2020.
Since 2013, the charity has found a new home for 405,839 pets in need through its network of 140 branches and 14 animal centres across England and Wales. Also, during that time, 615,000 animals have been patients at the charity’s hospitals while 1.7 million vet treatments have been carried out. The charity has also delivered one and a half million pet meals through its Pet Food Bank Partnership with more than 150 food banks and 35 RSPCA branches working together to provide pet food and essentials to those owners who are struggling amid the financial crisis.
RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “These figures are amazing and we are so proud of our long history changing lives for animals, whether it’s through our education and prevention work, frontline rescue, rehabilitating and rehoming, or our campaigning – which has helped change more than 400 laws.
“This is a real moment of celebration for us but we cannot ignore the challenges ahead. With the threats of climate change, industrial farming on a huge scale, war, wildlife loss, the cost of living crisis and the legacy of the pandemic, all animals face unprecedented challenges. And we know that our futures and the futures of animals who share our world are inextricably linked.”
He added: “That is why we are launching our million-strong movement for animals in 2024, to get one million people taking action to change animals’ lives in our 200th year. There are things we can all do, big and small, to make a real difference to animals, whether it is joining a campaign, changing the way we shop, learning how to be an even better pet owner, making informed choices about the food we eat, volunteering and more. We want as many people as possible to get involved.”
