WSPA

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has been tirelessly campaigning for the rights and welfare of animals across the globe for over 25 years. The society came into being in 1981 following the merge of the World Federation for the Protection of Animals and the International Society for the Protection of Animals. They actively encourage governments and other bodies from all regions of the world to provide laws and regulations to protect and improve animal welfare, and currently have approximately 13 offices worldwide.

They primarily wish to educate those with animals to care for them adequately, to reduce exploitation of animals for commercial purposes, to improve living conditions and promote humane slaughter conditions of farm animals and to care for any animal which may have become injured due to natural or man-made disasters such as hurricanes and flooding.

The WSPA have consultative status at the United Nations and the Council of Europe making them the largest alliance of societies caring for the welfare of animals. The WSPA member network contains over 850 groups spanning 150 countries globally (www.wspa.org.uk).

Currently the WSPA are hoping to achieve a UN Declaration aiming to recognise animals as living, breathing, conscious beings. Ultimately this would result in animal welfare and issues being declared recognisable worldwide and hopefully putting an end to animal cruelty. It is also hoped that by gaining this declaration the environmental factors including climate change and pollution will be seriously looked into and that a secure future can be sort.

The WSPA rely on donations from supporters to enable them to carry out their work and spread the idea of animal welfare. They aim to educate those that do not understand such issues and to encourage them to look after their animals to both increase the living standards of the animal and to also protect and improve their livelihood. Projects that they and local groups and member societies have been involved with include phasing out bear bile farming across Vietnam and China, wiping out the horrifically cruel bear baiting in Pakistan and dancing bears in Pakistan and India and to prevent bear cubs being taken from the wild for this.

The WSPA also aim to educate local people from these villages to make a living in other ways and to educate tourists to these areas to not encourage this barbaric form of entertainment. They have also been greatly involved in trying to eradicate seal culling in Canada and whaling in Japan, Norway and Iceland and bullfighting in Catalonia. Most recently their campaigning has spread onto the television in order to spread the word regarding working donkeys and horses that are severely overworked and not adequately cared for.

The WSPA seek the co-operation of the general public in their campaigning through raising the awareness of the charity, signing petitions, writing to their MP on matters and helping to raise or donate money. It is only with the full assistance of the public that issues can begin to be changed for good.