Annual Review 2016 and onwards
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Welcome to the Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards.
Photo: Colin Seddon
The Scottish SPCA is Scotland’s animal welfare charity. We rescue animals in danger, find pets new homes, investigate abuse and prevent cruelty through our free Prevention through Education programme for Scottish schools.
Contents Introduction 04 Rehoming animals and saving lives 09 Investing in our centres Our frontline Prevention through education Research Raising funds Giving a helping hand Raising awareness Facts and figures Looking ahead The board of directors
21 22 30 33 34 41 42 44 46 48
Cover photo: Peter Devlin
Photo: Peter Devlin
Introduction.
Introduction 2016 has been another challenging year for the Scottish SPCA. It’s fair to say that 2016 was a period of change at the Society. We saw a change in our senior leadership and a number of highly dedicated and loyal staff (who have worked for the Society for a number of decades) reached retirement. We wish them well for the future. Our education programme continues to reach large numbers of school children annually and through independent research there is now clear evidence that this programme is improving children’s awareness of animal welfare issues. We continue to have more people on the frontline helping animals annually and have more than doubled the number of inspectors and animal rescue officers on the road helping hundreds of animals a day over the past decade. In 2016 our redeveloped Glasgow centre was officially opened by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The centre now has 150 kennel spaces and a brand new state of the art veterinary hospital. This will allow us to deal with the increasing levels of welfare cases that we face annually.
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
Introduction.
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Photo: Peter Devlin
Scottish SPCA scottishspca.org
Introduction.
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
Introduction.
We are here to help animals and prevent cruelty and, looking back over the past decade, what we have achieved and how much more we are doing to help animals today is a great testament to the hard work and dedication of all of our staff, supporters and volunteers. While we can all take pride in the achievements of 2016, we still have a long way to go, the future is just as important. The challenges ahead will create huge pressures on our resources and all of our staff. We are responding to large numbers of calls for help and caring for more animals every year, which means rising costs across the Society. We will continue to invest in education, our dedicated and committed staff, expand and build new rescue and rehoming centres and further develop successful partnerships and relationships to promote animal welfare. Engagement with staff and partners is so important as we strive to make the Society an employer of choice and encourage businesses to invest in our vision. We have achieved so much already, and together we can achieve even more in the future. Thank you all for your continued support.
Harry Haworth Chairman
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Photo: Peter Devlin
Rehoming animals and saving lives.
In 2016, we rehomed 5,806 rescued animals, this included finding forever homes for:
1,958 1,679 395 Cats
Dogs
Rabbits
622
167
180
805
1,262
Rodents
Bird and other animals
Snakes and other reptiles
Ferrets
Animals reunited with owners
The Scottish SPCA 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, 1,367 animals had to be put to sleep in our rehoming centres on veterinary advice and 179 were unable to survive. Scottish SPCA scottishspca.org
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Photo: Peter Devlin
Rehoming animals and saving lives.
Photo: Peter Devlin
The gift of sight Jack, a one year old blind Jack Russell, had his sight restored thanks to our kind supporters. He was diagnosed with cataracts shortly after he was born and his owners felt they could not give him the special attention he needed so Jack came into our care in December 2015. Brave Jack underwent a successful operation at the University of Glasgow’s School of Veterinary Medicine to remove the cataracts, costing £3,000. He recovered fully at our centre in Dumbarton before finding his loving, forever home.
£3,000 Operation cost
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Rehoming animals and saving lives.
Record number of exotics rescued We have seen a 127% increase in the number of exotic pets rescued since 2010. Our animal rescue and rehoming centres took in 345 reptiles in 2016 including snakes, terrapins and lizards, a huge leap from the 152 cared for in 2010. Unfortunately, we don’t receive as many enquiries about our exotic residents. We know a lot of people are put off by their appearance, particularly when it comes to our snakes, but we know there are plenty of reptile enthusiasts out there who would appreciate them for the stunning creatures they are.
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
127%
Increase in number of exotic pets rescued since 2010
Photo: Peter Devlin
Rehoming animals and saving lives.
Giant rabbit offered homes around the world When we issued a plea in February 2016 to find a new home for a dog sized rabbit named Atlas, we had no idea it would create such a stir! We had hundreds of calls and emails from all over the world including America and Canada, as well as a special guest appearance on ITV’s This Morning. After going through the rather tall pile of applications, we decided to rehome Atlas to Jen Hislop from Ayrshire, who has previous experience with giant rabbits.
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Rehoming animals and saving lives.
Record number of wildlife rescued 9,359
In 2016 we took in a record 9,359 wildlife casualties
4,231
We released 4,231 animals back into their natural habitat
63%
Our dedicated wildlife team successfully released 63% of the wild animals we cared for in 2016 which survived beyond 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 2,296 wild animals had to be put to sleep and 2,609 were unable to survive in our care.
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
Photo: Colin Seddon
Rehoming animals and saving lives.
Snowy the seal Every year our National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross expects to treat over 100 seal pups between October and March. 2016 proved to be the busiest year yet for our wildlife centre’s seal unit, beginning with the arrival of Snowy the grey seal on 27 October. Snowy, named after Jon Snow from ‘Game of Thrones’, was brought to us from Newborough beach, Fife. She was only a few days old when she arrived and was extremely undernourished and underdeveloped. Seal pups usually stay with their mothers until three weeks old and we have no doubt that if she hadn’t have been spotted by a kind member of the public she wouldn’t have survived on her own. Our staff spent a lot of time with Snowy convincing her to eat and trying to bring her to a healthy weight. Even though it was a slow start with Snowy, who only began to hand feed in February, she has been successfully released back into the wild. The ‘Game of Thrones’ theme continued with all the other seals arriving into our care throughout 2016 being named after characters from the hit show.
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
Photo: Colin Seddon
Photo: Peter Devlin
Investing in our centres.
Photo: Peter Devlin
Investing in our centres On Wednesday 21 December First Minister Nicola Sturgeon officially opened the refurbished Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre, formerly known as Glasgow Dog & Cat Home. The ÂŁ6 million extension of the animal rescue and rehoming centre in Cardonald houses the only two tiered kennel blocks in Scotland which has increased the kennel spaces from 99 to 150. With the cattery units increasing from 28 to 48 and new accommodation for small animals and exotic pets, the centre is now able to care for up to 3,000 animals every year. A new state of the art veterinary clinic will also allow abused, abandoned and injured animals in our care to receive routine and lifesaving procedures and operations on site. This impressive project was part funded by a generous legacy from the late Rikki and Kate Fulton who were huge animal lovers and supporters of the Society. Opening in 1908, the centre has served the city and the surrounding area for over one hundred years.
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Our frontline.
Our frontline The Scottish SPCA is unique among animal welfare organisations and charities in the UK in being a reporting agency to the Crown Office. This means that our inspectors are authorised to enforce the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. In 2016 our investigations led to:
In 2016:
Bans on keeping animals, including five life bans
Calls received by our animal helpline
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25
Fines, totalling ÂŁ12,210
3
Jail sentences
13
Community payback orders
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
246,964 85,346
Incidents our inspectors and animal rescue officers attended including investigations, rescues, abandonments and callouts
Photo: Peter Devlin
Our frontline.
In court Snoop was severely emaciated and seriously dehydrated when he was rescued by one of our inspectors. He was immediately put on intravenous fluids and the vets were unsure if he would make it through the night. When Snoop was admitted into our care he weighed a mere 5.85kg, by the time he was rehomed, he weighed a healthy 14.2kg. Just look at how happy Snoop is now!
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
£500 fine 10 year ban
Snoop’s owner was fined £500 and received a 10 year disqualification order on caring for any domestic animal
Photo: Peter Devlin
Our frontline.
The fight against puppy trafficking Under Operation Delphin, we are spearheading a multi-agency fight with organisations including ISPCA, USPCA, DSPCA, RSPCA, HMRC Trading Standards, Stenaline, Police Scotland Port Unit and APHA to try and put a stop to the illegal puppy trade. Working together is testament to everyone’s commitment to tackling this multimillion pound industry. We are also extremely pleased to have MSP involvement from Emma Harper, who led a Members’ Business debate in December at Holyrood to highlight the extent of this problem, the action that a range of agencies and the Society in particular are taking to tackle it, and to start a real debate on what more can be done to promote animal welfare and make life as difficult as possible for the illegal puppy traffickers. Thanks to the fantastic work of our undercover Special Investigations Unit and those involved with Operation Delphin, we are starting to see more convictions of those involved in the puppy trade. On 21 November 2016, Robert Brownlie received a lifelong ban from owning and keeping animals and a community pay back order of 240 hours unpaid work. In addition to this Brownlie was fined a total of £2,880 to be paid within four months. It is rare that lifelong disqualifications are handed out, however this sentence sends out a strong message to anyone who is involved in the puppy trade that the courts are taking these activities seriously.
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Our frontline.
New air weapon legislation No licence. No air gun. That’s the message to air weapon owners who now need firearms certificates for their weapons as the new laws came into effect on 31 December 2016. People who own or use an air weapon now need to have a certificate in line with new legislation introduced under the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015. We joined forces with the Scottish Government to launch a campaign raising awareness of the new rules. Our Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn was joined by Elaine Boyle of Renfrew, whose beloved cat named Fizz had to have one of her back legs removed after being cruelly targeted with an airgun. The Scottish Government’s licensing scheme will help ensure air weapons are only used responsibly and lawfully. Disturbingly, some people seem to think it is fun to maim and kill defenceless animals with air weapons and this is completely unacceptable in a modern, civilised society. Wild animals and cats are the most common victims of air weapons and we receive over 100 reports of animals being targeted each year, with many of these attacks taking place in highly populated, residential areas.
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
Photo: Scottish Government
Prevention through education.
Prevention through education 303,615 75% In 2016 we reached 303,615 pupils
75% of primary schools in Scotland benefitted from our free education programme
Together with the University of Edinburgh, we have published research that highlights the positive impact our programme is having on children’s knowledge, empathy, attitudes, responsibility towards animals and belief that animals have feelings. These are very exciting findings which highlight that our workshops can truly make a difference towards changing the future for animal welfare.
I would highly recommend this visit as it was a very good experience for my pupils and has taught them well within the four capacities regarding animal welfare. St. Bridget’s PS, Glasgow City
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
Another super interactive visit from the Scottish SPCA. Children very interested and engaged. Pirnmill PS, North Ayrshire
Thank you so much for a fabulous learning experience. The children were engaged in learning throughout, super interactive. Most enjoyable. Foveran School, Aberdeenshire
Photo: Peter Devlin
Photo: Peter Devlin
Research.
Reggae gets paw of approval We released new research in partnership with the University of Glasgow that suggests dogs have different musical tastes. On the back of our previous research, which showed that our dogs stress levels significantly decreased after listening to classical music, the new paper focuses on the effect of particular kinds of music, showing that reggae music is a firm favourite in the canine world. The research, conducted by PhD student Amy Bowman, took place at our centre in Dumbarton and clearly shows that music has an effect on a dog’s behaviour. We were keen to explore the effect playing different genres of music had, and it was clear that the physiological and behavioural changes observed were maintained when the dogs were exposed to a variety of music. Overall, the response to different genres was mixed highlighting the possibility that like humans, our canine friends have their own individual music preferences. That being said, reggae music and soft rock showed the highest positive changes in behaviour. Scottish SPCA scottishspca.org
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Raising funds.
Raising funds In 2016 it cost ÂŁ14.5 million to run the Scottish SPCA. As we receive no government or lottery funding every penny donated is vital to continue our work preventing cruelty and rescuing animals in Scotland. We would like to thank each and every one of our kind donors, volunteers, trusts and corporate partners for their dedicated efforts and generous support. In 2016 legacy giving was our largest source of income. We received an amazing ÂŁ6.1 million in gifts from supporters in their Wills. Leaving a gift in your Will is an incredible way to help the Scottish SPCA and prevent animals suffering in Scotland.
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
Photo: Virgin London Marathon
Raising funds.
Events
Our fundraising activities wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication from our supporters. We’d like to say a massive thank you to our amazing supporters who have given up their own time to raise much needed funds to help abused, abandoned and injured animals in Scotland. We’ve been truly touched by some of the lengths our fantastic fundraisers have gone to from abseils to bungees, marathons to strenuous treks, bake sales and much more. Last year our dedicated supporters raised over £174,000 from participating in fundraising events!
Photo: Highland Fling
Over 40 adrenaline seekers took on the brave challenge of taking part in a bungee jump in the scenic location of Killiecrankie and the Titan Crane in Glasgow. Victoria from Motherwell said; “I am terrified of heights and knew my friends and family would sponsor me as this is totally out of my comfort zone. All in all I raised over £900 - and the bungee jump was an added bonus as I totally loved it on the day!”
Photo: Skyline’
Gillian from Dundee took the plunge twice in a matter of months after completing a skydive and abseil in aid of the Scottish SPCA. Gillian said; “The Scottish SPCA do amazing work to stop animal cruelty which is still a big problem in Scotland. My rescue dogs Sara and Sasha were adopted as puppies and if it wasn’t for the Scottish SPCA who knows what could have happened to them.”
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Raising funds.
Photos: Peter Devlin
Kai inspired new owner Ian to run the London Marathon The adorable shar-pei became a global celebrity after he was left at Ayr train station with a suitcase full of his belongings in January 2015. Kai was given a new home by Ian Russell and in April 2016 he took on the gruelling challenge of the London Marathon in aid of the Society. Ian said, “Raising funds for the Scottish SPCA is what it’s all about. I was lucky enough to rehome Kai and really wanted to give something back. “I hand in food and bits and bobs for the animals but felt I should do something bigger and I wanted to test myself with a marathon.” We were so proud of Ian’s effort and he completed the marathon in just over four hours! In 2016 our marathon runners covered an extraordinary 525 miles in challenges across the UK and raised over £13,000 to help animals in Scotland!
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Photo: Peter Devlin
Giving a helping hand.
Giving a helping hand Volunteers generously give up their time to support us in many different ways such as helping at our animal rescue and rehoming centres, taking part in bucket collections and fundraising in their local communities. Helping animals at our rescue centres We have 87 dedicated volunteers who regularly give up their time to help at our animal rescue and rehoming centres. Our volunteers provide a great help to our hard working staff by assisting with veterinary care, cleaning, gardening, maintenance and dog walking. Fundraising groups Our invaluable network of Supporter Groups across Scotland pulled out all the stops in their local communities to raise funds for the Scottish SPCA. Last year they collectively raised over £35,500. In 2016 a further 339 kind volunteers also gave up their time to collect vital funds by taking part in bucket collections at their local supermarket or on the street in their area. Corporate volunteering We are always grateful to receive help and support from organisations who wish to give up their time to volunteer. In 2016 the kind staff from ASCO Ltd in Aberdeen generously gave their time to paint the stables at our Aberdeenshire Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre. One day’s assistance like this can save our staff around one week’s worth of work. Scottish SPCA scottishspca.org
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Raising awareness.
Raising awareness We constantly strive to raise awareness of the work we do rescuing abused, abandoned and injured animals. It’s imperative that the public know to call our helpline to report any animal in danger or distress as they are our eyes and ears, helping us rescue animals from unnecessary harm and suffering daily. We also need their support in more ways than one. We made a real push on our national Rehoming Week in 2016 to remind people to visit our rehoming centres when looking for a new family pet as we believe rescue pets make great pets! 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 2016 we:
6,026
Appeared in 6,026 media items
2.4m
Had 2.4 million visits to the website
240,000 20 Increased our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram followers to almost 240,000
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
Featured in 20 episodes of the STV series Animal 999
The facts and figures.
6% 5%
1%
11%
43%
Legacies
£6.1m
Memberships
£4.8m
Donations
£1.6m
C haritable/trading activities £0.9m Investment Income £0.7m O ther income
34%
Total
How our funds were raised These figures have been extracted from the audited financial statements approved by our Board of Directors on 6 April 2017 and signed on their behalf by our Chairman, Harry Haworth. Please write to our head office if you wish to receive a copy of the statements.
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
£0.1m £14.2m
The facts and figures.
10%
2% 2%
44%
42%
Inspectorate
£6.4m
Rescue centres
£6.2m
G enerating income £1.4m P ress, publications and campaigns
£0.2m
E ducation
£0.3m
Total
£14.5m
How our funds were used Operating deficit Net movement in funds* Net assets
-£0.3m £1.1m £39.9m
* After investment movements in the year
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Photo: Peter Devlin
Looking ahead Whilst we have achieved an incredible amount together, it’s clear there are still a number of issues that we need to tackle to prevent more abused, abandoned and injured animals across Scotland.
Tackling the multi million pound puppy trade industry As part of a multi-agency task force we’ve made great strides at helping tackle this horrific trade. Unfortunately, puppy traffickers are getting smarter and developing more complex operations to fuel this illegal industry. Together, we can continue to fight against this trade by working with MSPs, educating the public as to the dangers of trafficked puppies and investigating suspected traders. We are committed to helping bring an end to this terrible practice and securing better welfare for all dogs and puppies.
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Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2016 and onwards
Tougher punishment for people found guilty of cruelty to animals As a reporting agency to the crown we are proud of the accomplishments we have made bringing successful convictions against those who commit animal cruelty. However, whilst we have seen 74 successful cases in 2016, the sentences being handed out are hugely inconsistent. From receiving small three year bans from owning animals, to ÂŁ180 fines and community service, it is our belief that these sentences should act as a deterrent to potential criminals. We are, therefore, determined to seek more consistent and tougher penalties for those who commit these horrendous acts.
74
Successful cases in 2016
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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 (Chairman) Mr Ronnie Soutar (Vice Chairman) Ms Fiona Davis (Honorary Treasurer) Mr Nick Alexander (Director) – until June 2016 Mr Alan Biggar (Director) Mr Keith Chandler (Director) – until December 2016 Ms Susan Johnstone (Director) Mr Alistair M Lawrie (Director) Mr Dan Macdonald (Director) Ms Kathy Peebles (Director) Ms Beverley Tricker (Director) – Since June 2016 Mr Ian Turnbull (Director) Ms Victoria Simpson (Director)
How can you help
Photo: Peter Devlin
Rehome Volunteer Become a member Donate Leave a gift in your Will Take part in an event
03000 999 999 scottishspca.org
Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Kingseat Road, Halbeath, Dunfermline KY11 8RY Scottish Charity No. SC 006467