Tenant Spotlight: World Society for the Protection of Animals

Photo from WSPA website of a bearMovement Building

The World Society for the Protection of Animals is an international animal welfare organization headquartered in the United Kingdom, with 13 offices and more than 400,000 supporters worldwide. WSPA’s U.S. office moved from Massachusetts’ MetroWest region to the Third Sector New England NonProfit Center in July 2007.

WSPA is the world’s largest alliance of animal welfare groups, connecting over 889 independent animal welfare organizations (known as Member Societies) in 153 countries to raise the standards of animal welfare around the world. WSPA works towards a vision of a world where animal welfare matters and animal cruelty ends. The organization’s mission is to build a united global animal welfare movement to achieve this vision.

Growth Through Collaboration

According to WSPA USA Program Officer Sharanya Prasad, the international organization’s origins go back more than 50 years with the founding of the World Federation for the Protection of Animals (1953) and the International Society for the Protection of Animals (1959). The two were the first organizations to promote animal protection internationally.

The WFPA was founded by Dutch animal protection advocates and headquartered in Geneva. It provided landmark advocacy on the development and passage of several animal protection conventions at the Council of Europe. The ISPA, with offices in London and Boston, became known for its disaster and emergency relief work. It also was a pioneer for its groundbreaking awareness and policy campaigns to make the world aware of inhumane practices like the brutal slaughter of seal pups for their fur.

States Prasad, “Combining the resources and expertise of the two parent organizations, the WFPA and ISPA, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (or WSPA) was formally created in 1981.”

A Unique Program Mix

“At WSPA we concentrate our resources on several project areas and approach issues from different angles,” states Prasad. WSPA’s programs include a mix of direct fieldwork, campaigning, education and training, and member society development.

Stewardship. “For example, WSPA’s Africa office has a very successful ‘Pet Respect’ campaign,” she explains. “The campaign promotes animal stewardship among children through ‘Kindness Clubs’ in schools to increase awareness of animal welfare issues.”

In addition, WSPA conducts veterinary clinics for companion and working animals (like horses and camels) in countries around the world. The organization also trains and provides funding to member societies to help them find solutions to issues that affect animals in their country.

Enforcement. “WSPA helps fight illegal trade in wildlife by funding training of local law enforcement agents. And it develops tools such as the recently launched on-the-spot test for proteins to deter the trade in products containing bear bile,” explains Prasad.

A pig Emergency Relief. Building on the experience of the ISPA before it, WSPA is also uniquely positioned to provide emergency relief services in natural or manmade disasters where animals are in danger. Most recently the organization addressed the floods in Bolivia that left many dogs, cats, cows, horses, chickens and other animals in need of food, medical care and shelter.

“Apart from helping animals threatened by natural disasters, WSPA has a long track record of assisting animals caught in human conflict" states Prasad.

“Just some of the war zones that WSPA has gone to in recent years include Rwanda, Sierra Leone, East Timor, Kosovo, Bosnia, the Gulf and Afghanistan.

“Animals can play a key practical role in helping people get back to normal after a natural disaster or human conflict, whether it be the morale of having lost pets reunited with their owners, or helping to save invaluable livestock herds and thereby ensuring that traditional farming communities are able to continue as before the disaster.”

Education and Action

WSPA provides community education to encourage respect for animals and funds sanctuaries for animals rescued from human exploitation. It also campaigns to end specific forms of animal cruelty, including the painful process of farming bears for their bile which is used in traditional Asian medicine to treat ailments ranging from fevers to heart disease.

“At least 12,000 bears are kept on bear farms in China, Korea and Vietnam, where they are held in cages about the size of a telephone booth in order to extract their bile,” shares Prasad, “They can live up to 40 years in constant pain and in these miserable conditions.”

Current Campaigns

Much of the work carried out by the smaller WSPA member societies, particularly in developing countries, occurs with the support, expertise and funding of WSPA. According to Prasad, the organization provides a unique network of support and expertise, working with and connecting Member Societies to each other to help achieve a common vision: a world where animal welfare matters and animal cruelty ends.

The WSPA USA office in Boston currently focuses on campaigns that deal with the welfare of bears, whales, dolphins and farm animals, including:

  • Promoting the humane treatment of animals that are raised for food
  • Ending Whaling in Norway, Iceland and Japan
  • Ending captivity of dolphins for human entertainment
  • Creating The Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare. To mark the start of the new century, WSPA initiated a campaign to secure international legal recognition for the principles of animal welfare. The ultimate aim of the initiative is to have the Declaration ratified by the United Nations and then developed as a Convention on Animal Welfare. Visit www.AnimalsMatterUSA.org to become part of this effort.

NonProfit Center Collaboration

“WSPA found that the mission and vision of the NPC – to create and enable social change – tied in perfectly with our goals to give momentum to the animal welfare movement.” explains Prasad.

The organization has also found that tenancy at the NonProfit Center reinforces its belief that collaboration with other nonprofits fosters social change. “We have already met with some other organizations in the building including Chefs Collaborative and Roots and Shoots whose missions tie in with animal welfare,” she adds.

“Plus, the location is perfect. Being in the city and close to public transportation has made it much easier for our domestic and international visitors.”

Visit WSPA for more information on its programs.