TASCA ASÍNCRONA DE COMPRENSIÓ ORAL O COMPRENSIÓ ESCRITA
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NIVELL B1
Animal Rights and the RSPCA
Animal rights is the name given to the belief that animals have the right to be treated well
and not taken advantage of or made to suffer.
It might be surprising to learn that concern for animal suffering is not a new idea. In ancient
Buddhist and Hindu writings, a vegetarian diet was encouraged for moral reasons; the belief
was that consuming animals was wrong. However, for many hundreds of years, in other
areas of the world, animals were abused and even killed for a wide variety of socially
acceptable purposes including entertainment.
Those disgusted by the shocking treatment of animals worked hard to do something about it.
Across the world, people voiced their concerns for animal welfare through speeches and
rallies, protests, campaigns and demonstrations. Fortunately, the belief that animals should
be protected gradually grew into the movement we still recognize today.
Despite several attempts to bring in laws to protect animals over a number of years, the first
one was passed in 1822. Commonly known as ‘Martin’s Act’ after the man who introduced it,
the law was an ‘Act to Prevent the Cruel and Improper Treatment of Cattle.’ Just two years
later, in 1824, in a coffee shop in London, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals was founded. The SPCA later became the RSPCA because Queen Victoria gave
her permission to add ‘Royal’ to the title. It was the first animal welfare charity in the world.
Even though nearly two hundred years have gone by, on average, every 30 seconds,
someone in England calls the RSPCA to report a case of animal cruelty. A team of over 400
workers responds to and helps investigate more than 130,700 complaints of cruelty and
neglect every year. You might be amazed to hear that thousands of calls are about exotic
animals. The RSPCA believe this is because some owners do not find out about the animals’
needs before buying them. It becomes difficult for people to look after their pets and this then
leads to the animals escaping, being abandoned or neglected. In 2018 the RSPCA’s team of
specially trained exotics officers rescued over 4,000 exotic animals, including more than 200
snakes, 300 turtles and over 100 bearded dragons!
In 2007 the Animal Welfare Act became law in England. Described as the single most
significant piece of animal welfare legislation for almost 100 years, the Act places a legal
obligation on all owners and keepers of animals to care for them properly. Before this law
was passed, action was largely ineffective because it could only be taken after an animal
had suffered. Now the RSPCA and other organizations can act by educating and advising
owners before their pets suffer and they have the power to issue formal warnings and
prosecute animal owners who do not follow this advice.
Read the text again. Are the sentences true or false? Write T or F.
1 Animal rights were first discussed in ancient times. __
2 The animal rights movement developed quickly. ___
3 The first time anyone tried to protect animals by law was in 1822. ___
4 According to the RSPCA, some people buy exotic animals before they find out how to care for them.
___
5 The Animal Welfare Act is only about 100 years old. ___
6 The RSPCA now has the power to act before an animal is hurt or treated badly.
Answers
1.-T
2.-F
3.-F
4.-T
5.-F
6.-T
