Animals

There’s much more to helping animals than making sure they’re not abused or abandoned. We reveal all below...

> Introduction
> The big players
> Local animal charities
> Helping specific species
>> Birds
>> Fish and aquatic life
>> Butterfiles and moths
>> Cats and dogs
>> Horses and donkeys
> Working animals
> Helping animals abroad
> Research and conservation

Introduction
Animal shelters and sanctuaries are obvious and popular choices, and many help to find new homes for the animals they accommodate. But there is a whole range of work for animal charities beyond practical care – from research to campaigning to preserving habitats.

Think about whether you’d like to help domestic or wild animals, and don’t forget that animals abroad could also benefit from your cash. And consider whether you’d like to help them directly – even through a sponsorship programme – or rather invest in campaigning, raising awareness or research, which might have a greater impact in the long-term.

It’s important to remember that conservation work is crucial to animal welfare both in the UK and abroad. Consider giving to a charity with a broader environmental outlook, which has the potential to have an impact on all species across the world.

Finally, although animal charities often seem to be well-funded, they point out that they aren’t eligible for the same government money as charities which deal with people, so they rely on donations. Their work may also be expensive – particularly for charities that train working animals, such as dogs for disabled people.

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The big players
A big charity is the perfect choice if you don’t have a specific cause to support, or if you want to make sure your money is spread widely.

The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - see profile) is the largest animal charity in the UK. Its work ranges from rescuing abandoned animals to educating the public, and its campaigns are usually high-profile. It is the umbrella body for 174 local branches – check out the website to find your nearest centre.

Benefiting people as well as animals, the 90-year-old PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals – see profile) is a network of animal hospitals helping pet-owners who can’t afford vets’ fees. It is non-campaigning and non-political, and says it is the largest private employer of veterinary surgeons and nurses in Europe.

The Blue Cross (see profile) is another large animal charity, if significantly smaller than the RSPCA and the PDSA. It runs extensive programmes to find new homes for unwanted animals (mainly cats, dogs, horses, ponies and donkeys), provides veterinary treatment to help poorer pet-owners and tries to resolve animals’ behavioural problems. It also jointly runs a Pet Bereavement Support Centre.

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Local animal charities
If you are keen to help in your area, the UK is awash with shelters and small animal charities. Try our listings, your local phone book or CAF’s comprehensive charity search, which includes every charity in England and Wales.

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Helping specific animals
There is an astounding range of charities helping specific animals – try searching our listings or CAF’s comprehensive charity search. Here are some examples to get you started – and have a look at ‘helping animals abroad’ too.

Birds
The RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds – see profile) works in a range of areas – it lobbies the government, educates the public, furthers conservation and carries out research. It has over a million members – membership includes free entry to over 100 reserves – and over 13,000 volunteers. If you’d like to help out or visit locally, have a look at their map of nature reserves in the UK.

Fish and aquatic life
Cute pictures that encourage you to donate don’t usually include fish, but don’t forget about them – they and their habitats are frequently under threat.

The Westcountry Rivers Trust (see profile) has a wide-ranging approach to protecting river life in its area, from sponsoring research to training farmers to educating children. The Wye and Usk Foundation (see profile) is another of more than 20 UK river trusts (click here for a list), and combines lobbying with practical action to protect salmon in its two rivers.

For a focus on coastlines and the sea, have a look at the Marine Conservation Society (see profile), which protects marine life in the UK and worldwide. Almost twice the size, the Marine Stewardship Council (see profile) has a different approach – it devises criteria for fisheries to become certified as sustainable and ecologically sound. It says that this helps not only the environment, but also the many people who depend on fish for income and nutrition. Certified fish have an MSC label – keeping an eye out when shopping is an important way to help.

The Plymouth-based National Aquarium (see profile), on the other hand, is the only UK charity aquarium, and is designed specifically for education, conservation and research. A visit may well convince you that a huge range of marine life could benefit from your cash, whether here or through a related charity.

Butterflies and moths
According to Butterfly Conservation (see profile), butterfly and moth populations are declining faster than those of plants and birds – if this worries you, consider giving to this small but ambitious charity.

Cats and dogs
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home (see profile) is probably the best-known outfit of its kind in the country. Its motto is rescue, reunite (lost pets with their owners), rehabilitate and re-home, and it’s been going since the 19th century.

Cats Protection is the largest UK cat welfare organisation and finds new homes for around 60,000 cats each year. It encourages and assists financially with neutering, and provides an array of leaflets and information for the public. Fabcats (also known as the Feline Advisory Bureau – see profile), on the other hand, focuses on spreading knowledge which will help people to care for their cats better.

Horses and donkeys
The International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH – see profile) lobbies government, rescues abused horses and provides information on horse care and welfare. It runs a horse loan scheme, lending out animals long-term from its rehabilitation centres and providing ongoing advice. As well as all this, it is active abroad, raising awareness of how horses should be treated. Programmes are currently running in Europe, Africa and Latin America to relieve horse suffering by training students in all aspects of looking after horses.

The Donkey Sanctuary (see profile) runs ten farms in the UK and Ireland, looking after donkeys in need and providing a popular visitors’ attraction. Its rather large pot of money is also spent on international projects – from research into tropical diseases to providing veterinary assistance for (often mistreated) working donkeys.


For more exotic animals, have a look at the ‘helping animals abroad’ section below.

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Working animals
Do consider supporting a charity which trains dogs to help disabled people – it’s expensive work, but the benefits are usually more than clear. These charities also say that they take animal welfare extremely seriously, and see the relationship between the dog and the disabled person as a partnership.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (see profile) doesn’t only train and provide guide dogs – it also campaigns for blind people’s rights, educates people about eye-care and invests millions in eye research. If you prefer to support the dog rather than research, consider sponsoring a puppy.

But dogs aren’t just for the blind – Hearing Dogs for Deaf People (see profile) trains dogs to alert deaf people to specific sounds, at home or out and about. 70% of the dogs are taken from animal rescue centres, and they even give danger signals in an emergency and bark to attract attention. Dogs for the Disabled (see profile) does something similar, but the dogs are taught to help with every-day tasks, such as picking up the post and emptying the washing machine. Both charities say that the dogs provide a vital lifeline, not just because of the work they are trained to do, but also because they provide companionship and encourage people to come and chat to the disabled person when they’re out and about.

For charities aiming to improve the welfare of working animals, take a look at the Brooke Hospital for Animals (see profile), in the ‘animals abroad’ section below. The International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH – see profile) and the Donkey Sanctuary (see profile), both mentioned above under ‘helping specific animals’, also work in this area.

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Helping animals abroad
Animals abroad often receive less of our money, although in many other cultures they are treated with far less respect.

The World Society for the Protection of Animals UK (WSPA – see profile) is the UK branch of the world’s largest animal welfare network (both wild and domestic), of which the RSPCA is a member. It has partners in 140 countries and seems to have plenty of political clout, lobbying for changes in legislation and campaigning for improved practices. It also provides disaster relief, including preventing the spread of disease – when earthquakes or floods strike, it’s not only the people who need help!

The Animals Asia Foundation (see profile) is based in Hong Kong, and aims to prevent cruelty to and increase respect for all animals in Asia. The Tusk Trust (see profile), on the other hand, focuses on Africa and aims to protect endangered species through education and sustainability projects. Traffic (see profile) is a wildlife trade monitoring network, which tries to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is sustainable and doesn’t threaten conservation. It aims to prevent illegal trade of products from endangered animals, such as ivory.

The Brooke Hospital for Animals (see profile), which started out looking after war-horses, helps over 500,000 working animals around the world each year. It says that this in turn helps around three million people who depend on them. The Compassion in World Farming Trust (see profile) aims to protect farm animals and end factory farming practices. But be aware that this is a charitable arm of a campaigning organisation – which means that you won’t be supporting its full range of work. Click here for an explanation.

There are also various outfits protecting specific animals abroad – from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe (see profile), to Save the Rhino International (see profile), to the researching, educating and campaigning Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (see profile). Check out our listings for more examples, or CAF’s comprehensive search, which includes every charity in England and Wales.

For charities that combine UK and international work, take a look at the Marine Conservation Society (see profile), the ,b>Marine Stewardship Council (see profile), the International League for the Protection of Horses (see profile) and the Donkey Sanctuary (see profile), all mentioned above under ‘helping specific animals’.

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Research and conservation
If you are keen for your money to have a long-term impact, contemplate giving to outfits that invest in research or conservation. Many of the charities mentioned above also do this kind of work, but here are a few more examples:

As well as running zoos, both the Zoological Society of London (see profile) and the much smaller Paignton Zoological and Botanical Gardens (see profile) support a variety of conservation projects around the world. These range from resolving conflict between cheetahs and farmers in Zimbabwe, to trying to reduce unsustainable levels of hunting in the Tropics. The two also fund a huge amount of research between them, including supporting PhD students.

With rather a different focus, the Animal Health Trust (see profile) researches new cures and treatments for cats, dogs and horses and distributes its findings to vets. It says it is also at the cutting edge of research into preventative medicine.

Greenpeace Environmental Trust (see profile) is the charitable arm of Greenpeace (click here to see what this means). It funds research which then feeds into campaigning work, for example on how human activity can affect animals and cause extinction. The Friends of the Earth Trust (see profile) is another charitable arm of a campaigning organisation, and carries out work on a range of environmental issues, including preserving biodiversity. For an explanation of these two outfits and the differences between them, see Greenpeace vs Friends of the Earth.

The WWF (see profile) is another environmental charity, working both abroad (70% of expenditure) and in the UK. It influences government decision-making, looks for long-term solutions, educates the public and runs appeals for specific animals.

Another way of helping to preserve animal habitats is to support a wildlife trust in the UK. The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (see profile) is the mother organ isation, and its website has a list of wildlife trusts around the country.

For more on environmental charities and preserving animal habitats, see our overview of environmental charities.

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