Dispute between animal charities

THERE is never enough money, it seems, to deal with the problems caused by cruelty to animals. Countless charities exist to ease suffering or to campaign for changes in the law governing how animals are treated. By far the best known in Britain is the RSPCA, which is now locked in an unfortunate, costly and increasingly bitter dispute with the unrelated Scottish SPCA over fundraising north of the border.

The SSPCA is angered by advertising by the RSPCA which, it believes, conceals the fact that the rival charity’s work is confined to England and Wales. It is concerned that animal lovers in Scotland will assume a link between the two organisations and donate in the honest belief that they will be alleviating suffering close to home. In response, the RSPCA says it does not deliberately advertise north of the border and redirects any Scottish callers to the SSPCA.

The tragic thing is that both organisations do sterling work and the losers, if this dispute cannot be resolved swiftly and amicably, will be the very animals on which their efforts should be focused. Perhaps both charities should study the painfully-thin dog used as the centrepiece of the SSPCA’s hard-hitting advertising campaign. That’s where the money and effort should be going.