Who we are
WSPA’s vision is of a world where animal welfare matters, and animal cruelty ends.
WSPA has been promoting animal welfare for more than 25 years. Our work is concentrated in regions of the world where few, if any, measures exist to protect animals.
WSPA’s work is focused on four priority animal welfare areas:
- Companion animals – responsible pet ownership, humane stray management and cruelty prevention.
- Commercial exploitation of wildlife – intensive farming and the cruel management and killing of wild animals for food or by-products.
- Farm animals – intensive farming, long distance transport and slaughter of animals for food.
- Disaster management – providing care to animals suffering as a result of man-made or natural disasters, and thereby protecting people’s livelihoods.
Our mission: to build a global animal welfare movement.
With consultative status at the United Nations and the Council of Europe, WSPA is the world‘s largest alliance of animal welfare societies.
We are proud to coordinate this growing network, with more than 900 member organisations in over 150 countries.
WSPA brings together people and organisations throughout the world to challenge global animal welfare issues.
WSPA has 13 offices and hundreds of thousands of supporters worldwide.
Realising our aims
Politically, we have campaigned to convince governments and key decision makers to change practices and introduce new laws to protect or improve the welfare of animals.
With generous donations from our supporters, WSPA has helped people set up new animal welfare groups, enabling local communities globally to help drive improvements in animal welfare.
Understanding that human ignorance is a major factor in the continuation of animal cruelty, WSPA’s education programmes facilitate a positive change in people’s attitudes towards animals.
Our field and disaster management teams provide direct help to animals that have been abandoned, neglected or caught up in natural or man-made disasters all over the globe.
Learn more about our beliefs >>
Download WSPA's strategic plan (PDF document, 1.1 MB) >>
Download WSPA's financial statements for 2008 (PDF document, 281 KB) >>
Read WSPA's Global Review 2008 (PDF 2MB) >>
Read WSPA's Global Review 2007 (PDF 3MB) >>
Read WSPA's Global Review (2006) >>