The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals was the result of the untiring efforts of a hard-drinking Irish squire, Richard Martin, otherwise known as “Humanity Martin”.

On the face of it, Richard Martin did not seem a likely candidate for the role of protector of animals. He had a wild Irish temper and was renowned for fighting duels “on the flimsiest provocation”. He was a hard drinker and a man who tended to keep to himself, yet cruelty to animals caused him fierce indignation and he worked unremittingly for what came to be called “Martin’s Acts” to be passed in the British Parliament. The first of these was called “the Cow’s Charter” and laid down rules for the proper care of farming animals. Martin was clear about what he meant by cruelty to animals. People were often surprised at what they were no longer allowed to do to animals, because animals were commonly thought to be little more than animate ‘things’, put on earth for the convenience of man. Martin fought against such cruelties as lack of food, water and shelter, over-driving, harnessing of dogs to carts in order to pull heavy loads, bulland bear-baiting, cock- and dog-fighting, and the trapping of animals and birds.

He pointed out that, quite apart from the cruelty, the practice of trapping birds meant that insects thrived and damaged crops, and if the perpetrators felt no guilt at the ugly practice of trapping, they should consider the longterm results for self-interest’s sake.

The first Society for the Prevention of Animals was founded in England in 1824. Having the support of the crown, it was called the “Royal” society (RSPCA) and continues to be called so in many of Britain’s former colonies, like Australia and New Zealand. The Scottish RSPCA was founded in 1839, and an American philanthropist, Henry Bergh, founded the American SPCA in 1866. Gradually, the SPCA spread to countries around the world.

As the years passed, the SPCA drew up regulations for the slaughtering of animals for food, the protection of animals in zoos, and closed seasons for hunting and fishing. Homes were sought for stray dogs and cats, and many people became sensitised to the general lack of humanity in the treatment of animals in their society.

Has there been a dramatic change in attitudes towards animals since the passing of “the Cow’s Charter” in 1822? Dramatic? Perhaps not. Since 1822, the greatest wars and holocausts in history have occurred, and we are deluged with evidence for man’s inhumanity to man. Where people are dehumanised, brutalised and murdered, often in their millions, there is small chance that animals will receive any better consideration.

But imagine a world without the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals. Imagine a world where ordinary people in ordinary society continued to be allowed to mistreat animals with impunity.

Because that’s the shocking part. Apart from psychopaths, it is seemingly ordinary people who commit acts of cruelty and seem to think little of it even today. But they are in the minority, because over the last 180 years people have come to understand much more about animals, and it is now widely recognised that they share our capacity for emotions like love, pleasure and pain and that their loyalty is humbling because it is unconditional.

Where there are no laws against behaving in reprehensible ways, more people are likely to behave badly. Laws against cruelty to animals have had a tremendously cautionary effect, and punishment of lawbreakers includes publicity regarding their offences. Today’s general public regards cruelty to animals as abhorrent.

The SPCA is far more than an animal adoption society and a humanitarian agency which has taken on the painful duty of euthanising unwanted animals. It plays a humanising role in society, working for better legal protection for animals and severer penalties for lawbreakers, and – perhaps not always well understood – works unceasingly for a better world in which concern for all living creatures is kept to the forefront of public consciousness.

It is this strong awareness of the responsibilities of our role that led to the inauguration of our education programme in the second half of 2004. Kindness to animals begins at home. Sometimes – including in privileged homes – it is lacking, and we don’t need to read Golding’s Lord of the Flies to know that children can be thoughtlessly cruel. But when they are given a different view of animals, most realise that treating animals thoughtlessly or cruelly is unacceptable.

In our education project, we focus on the education of children specifically in the area of caring about animals and how this helps us to care more about one another as well. Organisations like ours have limited facilities, and we show the children that they are our ears and eyes in the community and that they have an important role to play.