A
humane society may be a group that aims to stop human or animal
sufferingSuffering, or pain in a broad sense, is an individual's basic affective experience of unpleasantness and aversion associated with harm or threat of harm. Suffering may be qualified as physical or mental. It may come in all degrees of intensity, from mild to intolerable. Factors of duration and...
due to
crueltyCruelty can be described as indifference to suffering, and even positive pleasure in inflicting it. If this is supported by a legal or social framework, then receives the name of perversion. Sadism can also be related to this form of action or concept....
or other reasons, although in many countries, it is now used mostly for societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals (SPCAs). In the
United KingdomThe 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...
, it may also be a society that provides a waterways rescue, prevention, and recovery service, or that gives awards for the saving of human life (see:
Royal Humane SocietyThe Royal Humane Society is a British charity which promotes lifesaving intervention. It was founded in England in 1774 as the Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned, for the purpose of rendering first aid in cases of near drowning....
).
Australia
The first Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), based on the
BritishThe 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...
Royal 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), was set up in
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in 1871, followed by other SPCAs in
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
in 1872,
New South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in 1873,
South AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
in 1875,
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in 1883, and
Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
in 1892, with the other territories following much later.
The SPCAs were given the
Royal WarrantRoyal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
in 1923 and became known as the Royal Societies for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals, although they have no formal connection with the RSPCA UK. The national organisation,
RSPCA 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...
, was formed in 1981 to give a national voice on policy matters and advise the federal government on animal welfare issues.
Canada
The first SPCA in
Canada was the Canadian SPCA founded in
MontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1869. The other societies developed on a regional basis and now 123 societies are represented at a federal level by the
Canadian 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...
.
New Zealand
Early
BritishThe 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...
settlers brought with them the laws of
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and the English Protection of Animals Act of 1835 was adopted by
New Zealand. This was replaced by New Zealand's own Protection of Animals Act in 1878, and the first SPCA was formed in
DunedinDunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
in 1882 quickly followed by other societies. In 1933, all the societies amalgamated as a federation and this grew into the present day's
Royal 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...
.
The Humane Society of New Zealand was established as a registered charity in 1975.
Singapore
Formed in 2010, the Humane Society of Singapore (HSOS) was inspired by the plight of 85 rescued emaciated breeding dogs from a Puppy Mill in Pasir Ris and the public concerns as a result of that rescue. This society will be working with Singapore governmental agencies to educate and equip the public, assist in the formulation of standards for practice in the commercial as well as domestic arenas involving pets and investigate cases of abuse and cruelty to domesticated animals in Singapore. This society will also assist in the monitoring of dog adoptions and helping other Singapore rescue groups to draft effective contracts and lobby ministers for Humane laws.
HSOS was officially registered as a society in March 2011 and will be establishing affiliations internationally as part of its mission to collaborate for the betterment of domestic animal welfare, one step at a time. It's tagline is: "Advocacy and Enforcement". It will advocate and enforce responsible dog guardianship according to the Singapore laws, starting with the rescued dogs from the above rescue.
United Kingdom
The first humane societies were founded in the
United KingdomThe 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...
. They included the
Royal Humane SocietyThe Royal Humane Society is a British charity which promotes lifesaving intervention. It was founded in England in 1774 as the Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned, for the purpose of rendering first aid in cases of near drowning....
in 1774, the Glasgow Humane Society in 1790, and the
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)The 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...
in 1824.
The
Royal Humane SocietyThe Royal Humane Society is a British charity which promotes lifesaving intervention. It was founded in England in 1774 as the Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned, for the purpose of rendering first aid in cases of near drowning....
is a charity that grants awards for acts of bravery in the saving of human lives, and for the restoration of life by resuscitation. Since its foundation, the society has given more than 85,000 awards. The Glasgow Humane Society is a prevention, rescue, and recovery group set up to cover the
waterwayA waterway is any navigable body of water. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...
s of
Greater GlasgowGreater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area...
,
ScotlandScotland 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...
The main animal humane societies in the
UKThe 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...
are the
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)The 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...
(founded 1824) and its offshoots, the
Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsThe Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a charity to promote animal welfare in Scotland. It was founded in Edinburgh in 1839 and one of its first aims was to improve the welfare of cart-horses...
(SSPCA) and the
Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA)The 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...
. There is also the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), founded in 1917, to treat the sick and injured animals of the poor, and numerous other animal rescue charities for wildlife,
working animalA working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks. They may be close members of the family, such as guide or service dogs, or they may be animals trained strictly to perform a job, such as logging elephants. They may also be used for milk, a...
s, and domestic pets.
United States
The first SPCA in the United States was the
American 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...
(ASPCA), founded by
Henry BerghHenry Bergh founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in April, 1866, three days after the first effective legislation against animal cruelty in the United States was passed into law by the New York State Legislature...
in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1866. Two years later, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in
BostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
by a group that included
George Thorndike AngellGeorge Thorndike Angell was an American lawyer, philanthropist, and advocate for the humane treatment of animals....
,
John Quincy Adams IIJohn Quincy Adams II was an American lawyer and politician.-Biography:Adams was the son of Charles Francis Adams, the grandson and namesake of president John Quincy Adams and the great-grandson of President John Adams...
,
Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
, Henry Saltonstall, and
William Gordon WeldWilliam Gordon Weld was a shipmaster and ship owner. He is notable as an ancestor of several famous Welds.-Ancestry and early life:...
. Examples of other national, nonsheltering humane animal societies include:
American HumaneThe American Humane Association is an organization founded in 1877 dedicated to the welfare of animals and children.The AHA's Film and Television Unit has monitored the welfare of animals during the production of films and television programs since 1940. They are the source of the familiar...
, which was founded in 1877 as a network of local organizations to prevent cruelty to children and animals.
As of 2005, the
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
Humane Society adopts the highest percentage of animals in the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
nationally with 96% for
dogThe domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s and 80% for
catThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s.
National vs. Local Humane Societies
Local humane societies in the U.S. are independent of similarly named national organizations such as the
Humane Society of the United StatesThe Humane Society of the United States , based in Washington, D.C., is the largest animal advocacy organization in the world. In 2009, HSUS reported assets of over US$160 million....
(HSUS) or
American 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...
(ASPCA).
While local organizations are concerned primarily with sheltering, adoption, and
euthanasiaEuthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
of animals, these national organizations coordinate and address broader issues beyond the scope or resources of the smaller, independent groups.
The
Humane Society of the United StatesThe Humane Society of the United States , based in Washington, D.C., is the largest animal advocacy organization in the world. In 2009, HSUS reported assets of over US$160 million....
(HSUS) does not operate, control, or fund local humane societies. However, it does provide support through grants, training of animal care personnel, standards of care, and evaluation services. The HSUS frequently works with shelters in disaster operations and large-scale animal rescues, assisting in the evaluation, triage, handling, transport and care of rescued animals. The HSUS maintains the animalsheltering.com website for animal care professionals, and publishes a bi-monthly magazine,
Animal Sheltering to which 12,300 shelters and rescue groups subscribe.
The HSUS provides national promotion of shelters and animal adoptions, alone or in partnership with other animal protection charities. The
Shelter Pet Project is a joint venture of The HSUS, Maddie's Fund, and the Ad Council to promote awareness of shelters and encourage adoptions.
In 1994, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, an industry publication, released the results of the largest study of charitable and non-profit organization popularity and credibility. The study showed that the Humane Society was ranked as the 6th "most popular charity/non-profit in America" of over 100 charities researched with 42% of Americans over the age of 12 choosing "Love" and "Like a lot" for the Humane Society .
No kill policy
Some local humane society shelters are referred to as "no kill." This is most commonly defined as a shelter in which animals are only euthanized when they are deemed unadoptable either because they suffer from an untreatable medical condition or have behavior problems that cannot be resolved.
See also
- 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...
- Rescue group
An animal rescue group or animal rescue organization is dedicated to pet adoption. These groups take unwanted, abandoned, abused, or stray pets and attempt to find suitable new homes for them...
- Animal shelter
An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost, or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.Parrots, for example, are the third most common pet owned by people...
- 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...
- Royal Humane Society
The Royal Humane Society is a British charity which promotes lifesaving intervention. It was founded in England in 1774 as the Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned, for the purpose of rendering first aid in cases of near drowning....
- Humane Society of the United States
The Humane Society of the United States , based in Washington, D.C., is the largest animal advocacy organization in the world. In 2009, HSUS reported assets of over US$160 million....
External links