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The Origin of the
World League for Protection of Animals
The
League was founded by Miss Kate Deighton and Rudolf Bergner in
Germany in 1898 and formally organised in Paris in 1900.
The
English branch of the League was established in 1900 by Miss A L
Woodward; she continued to direct its activities until her death in
1921.
There
was a second Congress in Frankfurt and a third in Helsinborg. The
Fourth Triennial International Congress of the World League Against
Vivisection and for the Protection of Animals, as it was then known,
was held at Caxton Hall, Westminster, London, from 19 to 24 July, 1909.
The
1909 Congress was attended by many distinguished members and
delegates from Europe, America, Canada and over 20 other countries.
As well as the President, there were 12 Vice Presidents of the
League and almost 90 Vice Presidents of the Congress.
At
the time the League had great support in the British Parliament,
with no less than 44 members of Parliament, including four future Prime Ministers,
attending the Congress.
If World
War I had not intervened we would have a much more humane 'Cruelty to
Animals Act', as plans were well in hand to alter and improve most of
it.
On 4
October 1928 the League inaugurated World Day for Animals, which is
still universally held on the first Sunday in October.
The
Australian branch of the League was formed in 1935 by
Miss E B Moore and was
originally titled 'The World Day for Animals League' It was allied to
the English branch of The World League for Protection of Animals.
Later
the name of the Australian branch was changed to conform with that of
the English parent society. The League was registered under the
Charitable Collections Act, NSW 1934 on 14 May 1937.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral
progress can be judged by the way
its animals are treated”
Gandhi 1869-1948
