scottishspca.org Celebrating 2017

Transcription

1 scottishspca.org Celebrating 2017

2 As Scotland s animal welfare charity we are proud of the work that we do: Preventing cruelty and championing animal welfare across Scotland Rescuing animals in danger Caring for and rehabilitating animals before finding them loving new homes or releasing them back into the wild Investigating and helping prosecute those who are cruel to animals Providing expert advice to the public about animal welfare Championing prevention through education

3 Contents Introduction Rescue and enforce Rehabilitate and rehome Rehabilitate and release Educate and prevent Raising funds, events and volunteers Raising awareness Looking ahead The board of directors Cover and inside cover photos: Peter Devlin

4 Introduction 2017 was a year of exciting change with the development of our new three year strategy shaping our direction for 2018 and the years to come. We welcomed the ambitions set out in the Scottish Government s Programme for Government, such as helping to tackle the illegal puppy trade, and we stand ready to support a modern system of registration and licensing of animal sanctuaries. We were also delighted to see our calls for an increase in the maximum penalty for the most serious animal cruelty cases to five years imprisonment addressed with the Scottish Government s ambition to amend the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act Demand for our services remained high and we continued to receive a large number of calls to our animal helpline reporting concerns about animal welfare, injured wildlife and more. We saw a consistently larger number of people calling to ask for guidance about animal care and we re proud to be a trusted source of animal welfare advice. We experienced a 44 percent increase in the number of animals taken into our care as a result of cases submitted to the Crown Office. Over a quarter of the record 302 animals seized were victims of the illegal puppy trade. As animal cruelty cases can often take years to be heard in court, we had more than 1,000 animals in our care in with no home to go to because their owners had not yet faced trial. While our animal rescue and rehoming centres had to cope with an increased number of puppy farmed pups requiring extensive veterinary treatment and round the clock care, we also saw a rising number of specialist animals, such as snakes and bearded dragons, coming into our care fuelled by the burgeoning exotic pet trade. Meanwhile the numbers of wildlife causalities rescued continued to rise with 2017 seeing a record 177 seals arriving at our National Wildlife Rescue Centre at Fishcross. Our dedicated team of animal care assistants, vet group and volunteers continued to help rehabilitate sick and injured animals across Scotland, nursing them back to health ready to be rehomed or released back into the wild. 01 Celebrating 2017

5 Photo: Peter Devlin

6 Photo: Peter Devlin

7 We firmly believe that prevention through education is the key to helping reduce animal cruelty in years to come. Due to the generous support received from the RS Macdonald Charitable Trust we have been able to expand our education programme and are about to pilot our new Animal Guardians workshops in the Edinburgh City region. This new programme is aimed at primary school children who have been identified as having the potential to commit, or have already committed, an act of cruelty, supporting our long term goal to break the cycle between animal cruelty and violent crime. The difficulties ahead, from tackling the illegal puppy trade to rescuing and rehabilitating increasing numbers of wildlife casualties, will create huge pressures on our resources and our dedicated staff but we re up for the challenge. We will continue to invest in education, our committed and expert staff, and our specialist rehoming and rescue centres. We will build on the strong partnerships we ve developed in 2017 and continue working with partner organisations and the Scottish Government to better animal welfare both here in Scotland and internationally. We have achieved so much already, and together with your help we can achieve even more in the future. Thank you for all your continued support. Harry Haworth Chairman Kirsteen Campbell Chief Executive scottishspca.org 04

8 Rescue and enforce Our frontline Our animal helpline team, animal rescue officers and inspectors are the first port of call for members of the public concerned about animal welfare in Scotland. The is unique among animal welfare organisations and charities in the UK in being a reporting agency to the Crown Office. Wherever possible our dedicated team offer support and advice to members of the public and legal action is always the last resort. Whilst we truly believe Scotland is a nation of animal lovers, there continues to be a minority of people who abuse animals. Despite the help, advice and support our inspectors provide, these individuals continue to cause unnecessary suffering to the animals in their care. In these circumstances our inspectors are authorised to enforce the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act In ,240 Calls received by our animal helpline 89,522 Incidents responded to by our inspectors and animal rescue officers 05 Celebrating 2017

9 Photo: Peter Devlin

10 Photo: Peter Devlin

11 Rescue and enforce In court In 2017 our investigations led to: * 70 Successful cases 52 Bans on keeping animals 4 27 Life bans Fines totalling 18,845 ** 6 Jail sentences 16 Community payback orders Animal welfare notices Animals seized Whilst we are delighted to see an increase in bans, the sentences handed out are hugely inconsistent. It is our belief that these sentences should act as a deterrent to potential criminals. We support an increase to the maximum jail term for animal cruelty and welcome an increase from 12 months to five years. * ** Please note the does not benefit from any funds raised through fines. Number of animals seized as a result of cases submitted to the Crown Office. scottishspca.org 08

12 Rescue and enforce Increase in maximum sentencing In 2017 we were focused on seeing tougher, more consistent sentencing and urged the Scottish Government to increase the current maximum jail sentence for animal abusers from 12 months to five years. As a reporting agency to the Crown Office we are proud of the accomplishments we have made bringing successful convictions against those who commit animal cruelty. However, whilst we have seen 70 successful cases in 2017, the sentences being handed out are hugely inconsistent. It is our belief that these sentences should act as a deterrent to potential criminals and the increase in maximum jail time would provide Sheriffs with greater options when faced with these crimes. We are therefore delighted to see our calls for an increase in the maximum penalty for the most serious animal cruelty cases addressed with the Scottish Government s ambition to amend the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act Celebrating 2017

13 Photo: Peter Devlin

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15 Rescue and enforce Reckless reptile keeper sentenced to 18 months in jail With our focus on tougher, more consistent sentencing in 2017 we were delighted when a 26 year old man from Motherwell, who caused a number of reptiles and animals in his care unnecessary suffering, was handed an 18 month jail sentence and a ten year disqualification order on keeping animals following our investigation. Keith Ross, 26, from Motherwell pled guilty to causing the animals in his care unnecessary suffering and being culpable and reckless by failing to disclose dangerous animals to our inspectors and Police Scotland prior to carrying out search warrants. Ross had a collection of reptiles in his home unlike anything we had seen before. Many of the animals were on the verge of starvation and one lizard had to be put to sleep after it ate its own substrate from lack of feeding. Our inspectors found that Ross was keeping, in total, thirteen venomous snakes and two scorpions without the appropriate licences amongst other animals including turtles and birds of prey. During the search the venomous snakes and scorpions were found to be kept in enclosures that were not secure, without appropriate lids, locks on the doors, warning signs that dangerous animals were present, or instructions in the event of a person being bitten or stung which posed a real and serious risk of significant injury or death. During the search of his property a venomous snake was found loose within the living room and had to be captured by specialist handlers. All the animals were removed from the property and are now being cared for by specialists. scottishspca.org 12

16 Rescue and enforce #SayNoToPuppyDealers One of our largest campaigns of 2017 was around our on-going fight against the illegal puppy trade. Our undercover Special Investigations Unit spearhead Operation Delphin, a multi-agency taskforce dedicated to detecting offenders, disrupting the illicit trade and reducing animal suffering. We will continue fighting to bring an end to illegal puppy trafficking and are working closely with the Scottish Government, researchers and organisations across the UK to best utilise intelligence and resources to create a robust response to these unscrupulous traders. To help highlight the reality of this cruel trade we introduced our online campaign #SayNoToPuppyDealers which received widespread support from the public and MSPs alike. We know the illegal puppy trade thrives on taking advantage of unsuspecting members of the public. We have, therefore, committed to informing people about buying puppies responsibly to try and reduce people inadvertently supporting an illegal trade of misery. Late last year we brought together experts from across the UK at our K9 Conference in partnership with the University of Edinburgh s Clinical and Health Psychology department. The conference saw numerous animal welfare organisations and researchers coming together to help tackle the trade with a united front. Puppies and bitches are living in dark, damp and unhygienic conditions. The spread of disease is rife, and life expectancy low. Puppy traders put profit before welfare, and we are determined, alongside our partners, to bring it to an end. Please help us spread the word by sharing our campaign #SayNoToPuppyDealers on social media. 13 Celebrating 2017

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19 Rescue and enforce Gorman convicted for unlicensed selling of pups As a result of our investigations under the banner of Operation Delphin an Airdrie man was found guilty for selling sick puppies without a licence and keeping adult dogs in conditions that caused them suffering. Christopher Gorman, 54, from North Lanarkshire, appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court on 31 May and was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering, trading without a licence, exposing dogs to unsatisfactory conditions and failure to provide necessary nutrition. He was sentenced on 21 July to 6 months restriction of liberty between 7pm and 7am, a ten year ban from owning animals and received a 500 fine for trading puppies without a licence. Gorman did not have a licence to sell dogs but continued to do so over a long period of time. When our inspectors first arrived there were 45 animals in his care, all of which were suffering from health problems such as cherry eye, diarrhoea and vomiting. The dogs were seen to be roaming around together with no separation for breed, age, sex and size. The conditions were entirely inappropriate for the number of dogs being kept and bred, and posed serious hygiene concerns, specifically the ability to disinfect and prevent the spread of infection and disease. There were faeces all over the yard and inside the house and this would have increased the risk of spread of disease, worms and infection. There was also no bedding for the dogs in their kennels. After our inspectors removed the French bulldog breeds that Gorman was selling we were alerted to him trading bullmastiff type pups from the same property. These dogs were kept in similarly unsatisfactory conditions and were removed by our inspectors. It was clear from his blatant disregard that his priority was money making not the welfare of the dogs in his care. The silver lining to this horrific case is that these dogs have been prevented from further suffering by being taken into our care where they received round the clock veterinary treatment and have now been rehomed to loving forever homes. scottishspca.org 16

20 Rehabilitate and rehome In 2017, we rehomed 5,410 rescued animals, this included finding forever homes for: 1,967 Cats 1,337 Dogs 316 Rabbits 627 Rodents 171 Snakes and other reptiles 143 Ferrets ,063 Equines Birds and other animals Animals reunited with owners 17 Celebrating 2017

21 Our dedicated team go out of their way every day to make sure every animal that comes into our care receives the love and warmth they deserve. Regardless of how long it takes, every animal will receive the necessary veterinary treatment, behavioural help, and time it takes to help them become the loving pets we know they can be. The does not put healthy animals to sleep. This is a policy we are extremely proud of. Unfortunately, many of the animals who arrive in our care have been abused and neglected, or are sick and injured and have been denied the veterinary care they need. It s heartbreaking but sometimes the kindest and only choice is to relieve their suffering. Sadly 1,016 animals had to be put to sleep in our rehoming centres on veterinary advice and 121 were unable to survive. scottishspca.org 18

22 Photo: Peter Devlin

23 Rehabilitate and rehome Tony Roper unveils Rikki and Kate Fulton dedication We were delighted to welcome Tony Roper to our Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in May to dedicate one of our new kennel blocks to the late Rikki and Kate Fulton. We are indebted to Rikki and Kate Fulton for their support over the years. The development of our centre in Glasgow was, in part, made possible by a hugely generous legacy donation left to the centre by both Rikki and Kate. Dedicating one of our new two-tiered kennel blocks to them felt like a fitting tribute for all of their support. Tony Roper said of the unveiling, I was delighted to be invited along to unveil the dedication for Rikki and Kate. They both passionately supported the centre in Glasgow, and really believed in the value of the. The extension here has allowed the charity to rescue and save the lives of even more animals and I know Rikki and Kate would be proud to see that their contribution helped make this all possible. Legacies are an invaluable gift to the Society. We receive no government or lottery funding and rely entirely on donations from kind members of the public. Legacies are an everlasting gift and help save lives across Scotland. scottishspca.org 20

24 Buster s happy ending Buster was severely emaciated and it was clear he d been neglected for some time when he was rescued by one of our inspectors. The vets found that he weighed only 15.3kgs and had no fatty deposits anywhere on his body. By the time he was rehomed he weighed a healthy 23.1kg. Buster s owner was given a community payback order of 60 hours and a three year disqualification order on caring for any domestic animals. Buster s smile is testament to the difference the expert care of our staff makes to animals across Scotland. Every day our staff care for animals with various needs; from sad cases like Buster s to runaway pets that we help reunite with their owners, to cats involved in road traffic accidents. Regardless of an animal s needs, our teams of dedicated staff do everything they can to help get them fit and healthy again. 21 Celebrating 2017

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26 Photo: Peter Devlin

27 Rehabilitate and rehome Staffie Awareness Week In November we celebrated our annual Staffie Awareness Week. Buster, Scotland s happiest dog helped us kick off our annual celebration. Buster was rehomed in January 2017 after we launched an appeal looking for his new forever home. He was dubbed Scotland s happiest dog after he had to have his tail amputated from wagging it too hard and bursting it open numerous times. 20% of the dogs rehomed from us in 2017 were staffies and their popularity was clear when a video from our staffie party hosted at our centre in Aberdeenshire received huge attention on social media. Residents old and new came together for cuddles, playtime and special dog friendly cupcakes all in the name of staffie love! We also welcomed members of a local canicross team to our centre in Edinburgh to help us share how incredible the staffies in our care truly are. Lovely Tyson, a staffie who d been in our care for over 350 days excelled at the sport, loving the attention (and biscuits) he was getting after navigating the wooded course. Gilli Mcleod, who d arranged the visit said, It was important to us to help promote the and the value of rescue dogs. We ve taken part in various canisports over the years and seen our own, and other rescue dogs, being highly successful winning numerous gold medals. Tyson didn t hesitate for a second he was enthusiastic, yet polite, and had great fun. I m delighted to see he s now found a new forever home! Tyson and our returning residents all go to show that staffies make great pets! scottishspca.org 24

28 Wildlife 9,645 4, Wildlife casualties 7,283 Record number of birds cared for 50% Released back into their natural habitat Record number of seals cared for Our dedicated wildlife team successfully released 50% of the wild animals we cared for in 2017 which survived beyond the first 48 hours. Sadly, many wildlife casualties arrive in our care severely ill or injured and cannot be returned to the wild or die due to their condition. Last year 1,930 wild animals had to be put to sleep and 2,929 were sadly unable to survive in our care. 25 Celebrating 2017

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31 Rehabilitate and release Five years at Fishcross In 2017 we celebrated the five year anniversary of our purpose built National Wildlife Rescue Centre at Fishcross. We opened our wildlife centre in April 2012 following a 75% increase in the number of wild animals requiring our care. The centre was intended to support 5,000 sick, injured and orphaned wild animals each year. Since we opened we ve treated almost 45,000 wildlife casualties which is considerably more than we expected. Our centre at Fishcross has allowed us to expand the number of wild animals we can care for by including on site veterinary facilities, seal, swan and otter pools, aviaries, wild mammal enclosures, paddocks and a stable block for deer. Previously we had to rely on a number of other organisations to help us rehabilitate wildlife. We ve now been able to keep human interaction to a minimum by caring for the animals in one place right up until they are ready to be released back into the wild. Our National Wildlife Rescue Centre has become one of the largest and busiest centres in the UK with new rehabilitation techniques and diets being developed on site and adopted by other centres. We ve provided advice to a number of centres throughout the UK and even consulted on wildlife being cared for abroad. We are extremely proud of our progress and grateful to all our supporters who have made it possible for us to build and maintain this much needed centre. scottishspca.org 28

32 Educate and prevent Prevention through education Education is at the heart of what we do. In 2017 we engaged with over 275,000 children by delivering our highly successful free Prevention through Education programme. Research by the University of Edinburgh has shown that our workshops have had a significant impact on a child s knowledge of animals, their needs and that animals have feelings. When a child believes animals have feelings they will be more likely to respond with compassionate and empathetic behaviour. Together with the university we have also identified that many children form strong attachments to their pets and the important role a pet can play in a family s life. This collaborative research has led our education work to be recognised internationally and we are in a strong position to continue sharing our insights for the universal betterment of animal welfare. 278,555 Children took part in our prevention through education programme 63% Of schools in Scotland reached 29 Celebrating 2017

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35 Educate and prevent Animal Guardians We are delighted to announce a new element to our already hugely successful free education programme. Our new Animal Guardians programme for primary school aged children, aims to break the cycle of cruelty and harm towards animals and people by promoting positive human-animal interactions. We have been generously supported by the RS Macdonald Charitable Trust who are funding this new development for an initial three years. Our new Animal Guardians programme will run alongside our existing Prevention through Education programme. It will be an additional resource for children who have been flagged as having the potential to commit animal cruelty, or have already been involved in an animal cruelty incident. The links between animal cruelty and violent crimes is well documented and we are delighted that the RS Macdonald Charitable Trust have supported us in creating a programme which aims to tackle this issue. Education about animal welfare is essential in order to reduce cruelty towards animals. The has a strong track record in delivering a quality programme with a powerful impact. This new initiative will develop the programme further by assisting vulnerable children and young people at the same time as promoting animal welfare. Douglas Hamilton, RS Macdonald Charitable Trust Director scottishspca.org 32

36 Educate and prevent Scotland s Animal Welfare Education Forum In September we hosted the first Scottish Animal Welfare Education Forum during our tenth annual Scottish Animal Week. We welcomed representatives from Paws for Progress, Edinburgh Zoo, Quality Meat Scotland, Dogs Trust, RSPB Scotland, RHET, Blue Cross, PDSA, Cats Protection and The University of Edinburgh s Clinical and Health Psychology department. We all work within the education sphere to combat animal cruelty and increase animal welfare awareness. We organised this forum to bring together people from across the sector to share best practice, strengthen links and discuss topical issues. There is a UK wide animal welfare education forum group but here in Scotland we have a very different curriculum with unique issues and goals. We are delighted to be working in partnership with other charity organisations to improve the education offering across Scotland. It is our belief that animal welfare should be a compulsory part of the Curriculum for Excellence and one of the key aims of this forum is to discuss how to make that possible. 33 Celebrating 2017

37 Photo: Peter Devlin

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39 Educate and prevent Research shows children with pets less likely to be cruel to animals In collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, we published research in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in June The research, of over 1,000 children, focused on seven to twelve year old children s emotional attachment to pets, and the impact it has on their behaviours towards animals. It showed that the majority of children within this age range with pets had a clear emotional attachment to their animals. Girls proved to be more attached than boys, with higher levels of attachment to dogs and cats compared with other animals. The findings confirm the growing evidence of the importance of pets in family life. Children with pets are less likely to be cruel to animals due to the emotional attachments they hold with their own animal companions. Roxanne Hawkins, PhD student in Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Edinburgh said, The research showed that children viewed their pets as their best friend, reporting that they would be lonely without them and that they felt that their pet knew when they were upset and tried to comfort them. Dr Jo Williams, Senior Lecturer in Clinical and Health Psychology from the University of Edinburgh said, By encouraging children to take an active caring role for pets within families we can promote pet attachment, child wellbeing and animal welfare. This research is vital as we actively encourage and promote positive pet care behaviour through our free education programme in Scottish primary schools and it will help inform future educational offerings as we continue to develop our pioneering work. scottishspca.org 36

40 Photo: Peter Devlin The effect of puppy farming on dog behaviour In November, in coordination with our K9 Conference aimed at tackling the illegal puppy trade, we published a study in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh confirming US findings that dogs from puppy farms exhibit significantly higher rates of undesirable behaviours than dogs from other breeding sources, particularly relating to fear, anxiety and aggression. They are also more likely to have genetic disorders and/or carry infectious diseases such as parvovirus, an often fatal condition which can cost up to 4,000 to treat. While higher levels of dog walking were found to improve behavioural outcomes it is clear that owners need appropriate support for dealing with the behavioural and medical conditions associated with a puppy trade dog. 37 Celebrating 2017

41 Key findings include: The intensive breeding environment causes increased stress to puppies and mothers Farmed puppies are more likely to have a genetic disorder and are more at risk of deadly infectious diseases such as parvovirus Dogs from puppy farms have more behavioural issues than dogs from other breeding environments Intensive breeding results in dogs being more than twice as likely to show fear to strangers and other stimulus Dog walking and different types of training significantly improve the effects of puppy farming scottishspca.org 38

42 Raising funds, events and volunteers Raising funds In 2017 it cost around 15 million to run the and continue our vital work across Scotland. As we receive no government or lottery funding our essential work would not be possible without the kind and generous donations from our supporters. From the running of our animal helpline and rescue centres, to our animal rescue officers and inspectors, Prevention through Education Programme, under cover special investigations unit and providing expert veterinary care, we would not be able to do what we do without public support. We would like to thank each and every one of our donors, volunteers, charitable trusts, and corporate partners for their amazing contribution and support. Photo: Peter Devlin

43 Events In 2017 our fantastic fundraisers raised over a magnificent 166,000 by giving up their own time and participating in fundraising events. We ve been truly impressed by our dedicated supporters who have been taking part in all sorts of challenges from marathons to skydives, bake sales to abseils! We are so grateful to everyone who has taken part or set themselves a challenge, no matter how large or small. In April 2017 we launched our very first abseil from the iconic Falkirk Wheel. The event was a great success with over 60 adrenaline seeking animal lovers taking part and raising more than 18,500! scottishspca.org 40

44 Photo: Peter Devlin Eilidh Doyle launches first ever Pound for Paws event In 2017 we asked animal lovers to walk, jog or run a distance of their choice each day throughout the month of September whilst having fun and raising as much as they can. We got off to a great start with Team GB athlete Eilidh Doyle launching the event and encouraging nearly 400 animal lovers to get active and take part. The event the was a great success raising over 14,000 and we hope that all who took part are proud of their dedicated efforts helping Scotland s abused, abandoned and injured animals. 41 I am delighted so many people signed up to support such a worthwhile cause. Animals bring so much joy to their owners and they all deserve caring families, which is why I decided to get involved and help. Eilidh Doyle, Team GB athlete Celebrating 2017

45 Raising funds, events and volunteers Giving a helping hand We have many hard working and committed volunteers who give up their spare time to help animals in need. Our inspiring volunteers are truly an integral part of our work and help us in many ways such as assisting at our animal rescue and rehoming centres, generating awareness and fundraising in their local communities. Supporter Groups Our vital network of supporter groups are made up from dedicated individuals who come together to promote the work of the Society and fundraise within their local communities. Each group is unique and go to great lengths to support our charity. Many brave the great Scottish weather while taking part in bucket collections, hosting local events, placing donation boxes within their local area and so much more! In 2017 our invaluable network of Supporter Groups raised over 47,300. Helping at our rescue centres We have a team of dedicated volunteers who help walk our dogs, clean our centres, keep on top of our laundry and prepare meals for our furry, scaled and feathered friends! Last year 94 regular volunteers gave up their time to help at our centres and we value every single minute kindly given. Corporate volunteers We are always grateful to organisations who wish to help and volunteer. In 2017 Morgan Stanley was one of many companies who helped us. Their employees gave up 384 hours of their own time to help us with maintenance projects from fence painting to gardening and laying bark. This kind of help is hugely appreciated as these jobs are necessary to maintain and run our centres. Not only did employees from Morgan Stanley give up their time they also generously donated funds for essential materials! We couldn t continue our work without public support and we really appreciate every single volunteer who gets involved. scottishspca.org 42

46 Raising awareness Raising awareness We rely on the public to help us do our jobs. From information appeals about abandoned animals and rehoming appeals for long term residents, to alerting us to cruelty cases the public are our eyes and ears helping us rescue abused, abandoned and injured animals across Scotland and find them loving new homes. We constantly strive to raise awareness of the work we do, it s imperative that people know to call our animal helpline to report any animal in danger or distress. Our #SayNoToPuppyDealers campaign relies entirely on our supporters sharing our posters and infographics to get the word out there and encourage rehoming or the responsible purchase of puppies. We actively encourage people to become members too as we don t receive any government or lottery funding and instead rely entirely on generous donations made by kind members of the public. In , million 250,000+ Media items featuring Visits to our website Social media followers 43 Celebrating 2017

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49 Looking ahead Whilst we have achieved an incredible amount together it s clear there are still a number of issues we need to tackle to prevent more abused, abandoned and injured animals across Scotland. Providing first class facilities and services We are committed to providing first class facilities and treatment for all animals in our care, continually learning and improving our services. We are excited that this will include establishing an education facility at our National Wildlife Rescue Centre and engaging the public in our groundbreaking work with many different species of wildlife. Prevention through education In an ideal world there would be no need for the. Animals would not be treated cruelly, abandoned or neglected. Sadly, the reality is that in 2017 the equivalent of one person per week was banned in Scotland from owning animals as a result of animal abuse. Our unwavering belief is that prevention through education lies at the heart of effecting real and lasting change and we will continue to expand our education programme to tackle this issue for future generations. Our new Animal Guardians programme is an addition to our offering. In working with partner organisations to further spread awareness and help reduce animal suffering wherever possible and beyond will see us provide more support than ever before. We are proud of the expertise of our team - we want to share this knowledge and to become the first port of call for trusted advice on all matters of animal welfare. Championing animal welfare improvements We will continue to actively champion improvements in animal welfare legislation and we look forward to working with the Scottish Government and our partners tackling the illegal puppy trade and supporting improvements such as licensing of animal sanctuaries and calling for a national database of animal cruelty offenders. scottishspca.org 46

50 The board of directors We would like to thank our non-executive directors, who generously volunteer their advice, guidance and expertise to the Society. Mr Harry Haworth Mr Ronnie Soutar Ms Fiona Davis Mr Alan Biggar Ms Susan Johnstone Mr Alistair M Lawrie Mr Dan Macdonald Ms Kathy Peebles Ms Beverley Tricker Mr Ian Turnbull Ms Victoria Simpson (Chairman) (Vice Chairman) (Honorary Treasurer) (Director) (Director) (Director) (Director) (Director) (Director) (Director) (Director) 47 Celebrating 2017

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52 Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Kingseat Road, Halbeath, Dunfermline KY11 8RY Scottish Charity No. SC