The RSPCA has launched a new campaign, urging people to care about the lives of every animal and carry out one million acts of kindness to mark its 200th anniversary this year.
The For Every Kind campaign is launching with a new brand for the RSPCA – for the first time in 50 years – and a new advert which sees singing animals “performing” Aretha Franklin’s hit Respect.
The launch coincides with the release of a new poll by the organisation which shows a stark difference in the way people see animals, depending on their relationship with them. According to the results, people were more likely to believe pets could feel emotions and deserve a happy and healthy life, compared to other animals.
The new poll, of more than 2,500 adults carried out by Savanta, revealed that three-quarters of people would call a dog a friend, compared to just one in five who would say the same about cats. Although nine in 10 believe dogs can feel happiness, and more than eight in 10 believe cats can, this falls to just four in 10 and three in 10 for chickens and rats. At the same time, 79% believe that dogs can feel sadness, and 75% think cats can, but just 50% of people feel pigs or foxes can.
The initiatives come as the charity says the challenges facing animals are “bigger than ever”.
Chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “We are devoted to our cats and dogs, but we often don’t realise we are connected to billions of other animals in our lives, through the things we buy and the choices we make. All animals are amazing, but sadly we’ve come to see many creatures as commodities and we value their lives differently because of it.
“As a society, we love our native birds, but turn a blind eye to the suffering of billions of meat chickens; we love the hedgehogs who visit our garden, but treat rats and foxes as pests. We need to realise that all animals have feelings and emotions, many can feel joy, anger, fear, and more, and whether they are pets, wildlife, on farms or in labs, they deserve to have a fulfilled life of their own.”
He added: “All animals deserve our kindness and respect and the first step to changing the way we treat animals is changing how we see and feel about them. Which is why we are launching our For Every Kind campaign to mark our 200th year. A world that is better for animals, is better for us all.”
