WSPA was founded in 1981 after the merger of two charities – the World Federation for the Protection of Animals (WFPA) and the International Society for the Protection of Animals (ISPA).
WSPA is dedicated towards promoting animal welfare, with their mission being to “build a global animal welfare movement.” The organisation has consultative status at the United Nations and the Council of Europe, and works on behalf of over 900 animal welfare organisations.
WSPA’s Top 10 Areas Of Work
- Bears – WPSA campaigns to end bear cruelty – practices such as bear dancing, farming and baiting – and supports bear sanctuaries and bear cub rehabilitation worldwide
- Dogs - work towards ending the dog meat trade
- Stray Animals - encourages responsible pet ownership and a humane way to deal with the problem of stray animals
- Factory Farming – WSPA campaigns to end factory farming, replacing it with free range and sustainable farming practices
- Working Horses – improves the welfare of horses by providing owners with equipment and training
- Bullfighting – WSPA is campaigning to ban the practice of bullfighting
- Whaling – aims to stop all forms of commercial and scientific whaling
- Orangutans - works with the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation to care for and protect orangutans
- Disaster Relief - ensuring that animals are not forgotten about after natural disasters
- Education – animal welfare education programmes have been set up to help make people aware of animal welfare issues
In order to ensure that animals are protected in the future WSPA has set about achieving worldwide recognition that animals do matter. This is where the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) comes in – a declaration that it’s the duty of humans to respect animals and their welfare.
