A Strategic Review of International Animal Protection
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A Strategic Review of International 1CHAPTER Animal Protection Paul G. Irwin Introduction he level of animal protection Prior to the modern period of ani- activity varies substantially Early Activities mal protection (starting after World Taround the world. To some War II), international animal protec- extent, the variation parallels the in International tion involved mostly uncoordinated level of economic development, as support from the larger societies and countries with high per capita Animal certain wealthy individuals and a vari- incomes and democratic political Protection ety of international meetings where structures have better financed and Organized animal protection began in animal protection advocates gathered better developed animal protection England in the early 1800s and together to exchange news and ideas. organizations. However there is not spread from there to the rest of the One of the earliest such meetings a one-to-one correlation between world. Henry Bergh (who founded the occurred in Paris in June 1900 economic development and animal American Society for the Prevention although, by this time, there was protection activity. Japan and Saudi of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, in already a steady exchange of informa- Arabia, for example, have high per 1865) and George Angell (who found- tion among animal protection organi- capita incomes but low or nonexis- ed the Massachusetts Society for the zations around the world. These tent levels of animal protection activ- Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or exchanges were encouraged further ity, while India has a relatively low per MSPCA, in 1868) both looked to by the organization of a number of capita income but a fairly large num- England and the Royal Society for the international animal protection con- ber of animal protection groups. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals gresses, including one in Philadel- The level of animal protection (RSPCA) as a role model for their own phia, Pennsylvania, in 1908, followed activity appears to be influenced not efforts, as did the founders of many by another in London in 1909. only by the wealth of a country but other societies for the prevention of In 1910 an International Humane also by its sociopolitical background cruelty to animals (SPCAs) in the Congress covering both child and ani- and its dominant religious traditions. British Empire and elsewhere. In mal protection was organized in Wildlife and food animal issues pre- 1877 a group of American organiza- Washington, D.C., under the auspices dominate in developing nations, tions established the International of AHA. The report of this meeting whereas companion animal issues Humane Society—the first to carry (American Humane Association have been the driving force behind the adjective “international”—although 1910) is 228 pages long and includes the development of animal protection the name later changed to the Ameri- a list of SPCAs outside the United in most of the developed nations. can Humane Association (AHA). 1 Table 1 Animal Protection Organizations Represented at the 1910 International Congress in Washington, D.C. Country Country Country United Kingdom* 200 Austria-Hungary 110 Argentina 3 Belgium 20 Brazil 2 Australia 8 Crete 1 Mexico 5 Burma 2 Denmark 140 Nicaragua 1 Canada 40 France 16 Panama 1 Caribbean 9 Germany 500 Surinam 1 Ceylon 1 Italy 20 Uruguay 1 Cyprus 5 Monaco 1 Venezuela 1 Egypt 8 Netherlands 35 India 23 Norway 12 Algiers 5 New Zealand 3 Portugal 2 Singapore 3 Roumania 2 China 2 South Africa 12 Russia 180 Japan 3 Spain 4 Sweden 120 United States 300 Switzerland 40 * RSPCA branches Source: American Humane Association 1910 States as an appendix. Table 1 identi- societies throughout the world, to the fies the approximate number of soci- president of the Conference for the Modern eties (or organizations with either a Reduction and Limitation of Arma- president or secretary) identified in ments in 1932. International the printed report of the meeting as The records of the 1910 Washington being active in particular countries. meeting indicate that many of the Animal Other international congresses societies outside Europe, the United Protection were organized in 1911 and 1927 States, and the British Common- After World War II the level of orga- (London), and five more were held in wealth were represented by expatri- nized international animal protec- Helsingborg, Copenhagen, Philadel- ates (American Humane Association tion expanded as national move- phia, Brussels, and Vienna between 1910). One example of a foreigner ments grew and flourished. Today 1911 and 1947 (Anonymous ca. setting up an organization is the there are four major international 1947). The Animal Defense and Anti- American Fondouk. This entity was entities and a number of internation- Vivisection Society’s International established in 1920 in Morocco by al activities sponsored by a variety of Humanitarian Bureau was established American traveler Amy Bend Bishop organizations. The four major enti- in Geneva (the home of the League of to take care of the needs of animals. ties (listed in descending size) are Nations) in September of 1928 She asked the MSPCA to oversee the the International Fund for Animal (Anonymous ca. 1947). The bureau program, and today the Fondouk Welfare (IFAW), the World Society for organized a deputation, supported by treats 15,000 animals annually. the Protection of Animals (WSPA), more than 1,400 animal protection the international program of the 2 The State of the Animals II: 2003 RSPCA, and Humane Society Inter- interests and was headquartered for The International Department can national (HSI), the international most of its existence in Geneva. It call on any of the professional staff in affiliate of The Humane Society of tended to draw most of its support the RSPCA’s U.K. headquarters to the United States. from animal groups in Europe, assist with international projects. although The HSUS became involved The RSPCA was a key supporter of IFAW in WFPA’s governing body in the the establishment of ISPA and, more IFAW was founded by Brian Davies. 1970s. Another organization, the recently, was the initiator of Euro- (The actual incorporation of IFAW in International Society for the Protec- group for Animal Welfare (see below). Massachusetts was in 1975.) Davies’s tion of Animals (ISPA), was estab- The RSPCA works proactively in East initial focus was the Canadian seal lished in 1959 with the support of the Asia and in Southern, Central, and pup cull and, as a result of his cam- RSPCA and the MSPCA. It had its Eastern Europe. It uses a variety of paigns, the Canadian seal issue is now headquarters in London but it had an tools to improve animal welfare, well known around the world. Davies office in Boston as well. ISPA became including training courses for govern- slowly built IFAW into the largest known for its disaster and emergency ment officials, nonprofit groups, and international animal protection orga- relief work—John C. Walsh, currently others. It gives out grants and has an nization, with an annual budget of WSPA International Projects director, association scheme to link with more than $60 million per annum in particular, was involved in a num- groups worldwide. It has run more (the largest amount being raised in ber of dramatic rescue operations— than a hundred training courses in the the United Kingdom) contributed by while WFPA was recognized for its past few years and in 2002 funded more than 2 million donors around work on the development and eventu- projects in more than forty countries. the world. Its expansion in the 1990s al passage of several animal protec- was particularly impressive, as its tion conventions at the Council of HSI budget increased from $30 million in Europe. HSI was established in 1991 to provide 1994 to $62 million in 1998; the The 1960s was marked by signifi- coordination for the international number of donors grew from 750,000 cant competition between WFPA and efforts of The HSUS. It has some sim- to 1.8 million over the same period. ISPA. During the 1970s, however, the ilarities to the RSPCA international IFAW employs more than two hun- leaders of both organizations recog- program in that it is able to draw on dred staff persons in its Massachu- nized that there would be consider- the program experts of The HSUS to setts headquarters and in offices in able benefits from a merger, and they provide expertise as needed. However, another thirteen areas around the began to work toward this end. In unlike the RSPCA, HSI has offices world (Asia/Pacific, Canada, China, 1981 the two organizations formally overseas. As of 2003 it had major pro- East Africa, the European Union, merged to become the World Society grams in Costa Rica, Australia, and France, Germany, India, Latin Ameri- for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), Europe, and new offices had been ca, the Netherlands, Russia, Southern with offices in the United States, the established in Asia, the United King- Africa, and the United Kingdom). United Kingdom, and Switzerland. In dom, France, and Germany. Other A few years ago, IFAW divided its the 1980s the Swiss office was closed, affiliates of The HSUS, including programs into three broad areas— but WSPA established new field EarthVoice and the Center for the reducing commercial exploitation offices in Costa Rica, Colombia, and Respect of Life and the Environment, and trade, saving animals in distress, Canada. Today the organization has also support international activities and preserving habitat for animals. offices in thirteen countries; 400 on the environment and animals. These programs include working on animal protection organizations from trade through the Convention on 91 countries as members; more than Other Groups 400,000 individual supporters; and International Trade in Endangered The RSPCA and various groups in Species of Wild Fauna and Flora an annual budget of approximately $15 million.