The ASPCA: Active in Prevention of Animal Cruelty
by Dr. Thomas R. Beaver
[Photographer: Morten Skovgaard, posted at Wikimedia Commons]
As an animal lover, I am a longtime member of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). With over a million members worldwide, ASPCA is one of the oldest and most recognized non-profit organizations in the U.S.
The organization got its start in New York City in 1866, at a time when practices such as cockfighting, inhumane slaughterhouses, and mistreatment of horses were rampant. The ASPCA has maintained strong ties with the city of its foundation ever since, operating a large municipal shelter there for over a century, and maintaining its headquarters in New York up to the present.
There are two major areas in which the ASPCA focuses its efforts today: fighting animal cruelty and assisting with pet shelter and adoption. On the cruelty front, the ASPCA offers hotlines for reporting any incidents of animal abuse while also operating a Field Investigations and Response Team. Formed in 2005 in response to the devastations of Hurricane Katrina, the team coordinates with emergency responders, shelters, and humane societies nationwide in reacting to events such as wildfires, reports of puppy mills, and other incidents of concern. The team even maintains a state-of-the-art forensics tools-equipped mobile Animal Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Unit. The CSI Unit`s veterinary forensics truck offers an X-ray machine; an alternate light source to detect hair, fibers, and fluids evidence; DNA testing through urinalysis; and computer-based analytical tools.
The adoption aspect of the ASPCA’s work is equally valuable, with its major adoption center located in New York City. Potential adopters can visit the ASPCA online at aspca.org and view the full roster of adoptable pets available at local shelters throughout the U.S.
