Civilizing Mission: Animal Protection in Hobart 1878–1914

Abstract

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was one of the most prominent pressure groups in nineteenth-century England. This middle-class reform group, inspired by the Christian faith, led the movement to defend animals from mistreatment. It enforced the law using its army of Inspectors and used education to engender kindness towards animals. While historians have debated the work of the RSPCA at length, they have paid less attention to the work of branches of the SPCA established in the British colonies. This article focuses on the activities of the Tasmanian SPCA from its formation in 1878 to the suspension of its activities in 1914. The Tasmanian society was inspired by the philosophy and methods of the parent society and initiated a ‘civilizing mission’ to deal with the widespread cruelty to animals in the capital Hobart. This article assesses the work of the society in protecting domestic animals, especially horses, which were widely used for work, transport and recreation. Although difficult to measure changing cultural attitudes, by 1914 the TSPCA seems to have helped change long established practices and ensured that the law was of more than symbolic protection to animals.