Speech and Stage Directions
I want to thank the President of the Rotaract Club, Erin Wright, for her consistency in supporting the Rotary's ambition of making the world a better place. Also, much appreciation to Vice President Ashley Muehleise for overseeing the club activities and coordinating member's attendance ( everyone let us give them a hand of applause ). I also take this opportunity to thank the special people who have made this event possible, including those of you who have proposed to attend this club meeting. The Rotary recognizes your consistency and unwavering commitments to the well-being of each other. Therefore, it is an honor to stand in front of you to deliver this speech. I am Dr. Pierre Camberton, the current President of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the vice-chairperson of the board of directors since 2008.
( The increased awareness of the importance of education over the last few decades has resulted in significant increases in Rotary memberships and clubs worldwide ).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Although we have become educated and successful, we have placed our interests first and forgotten the welfare of animals (Broom, 2017). Therefore, today I want to talk about animal cruelty and why we should protect them, hoping that this Rotary may help in that just course.
( Stress the figures to make the numbers appear significant ) It is reported that 10 million animals die annually in the U.S due to abuse, and another 100 million to laboratory experiments. In other words, every minute, one animal faces abuse in places where individuals like us, who are educated and successful enough to understand better, could help stop the cruelty. It is worth noting that psychologists have established that intentional abuse of animals strongly correlates to criminal and violent behaviors against people.
( Evidence suggests that animal abusers are five times more likely to engage in violent criminal acts in the community ).
Therefore, living with millions of animal abusers is like living with potential criminals. This threatens the security of everyone. Therefore, as we gather here today, I take this opportunity to identify some of the interventions we need to control and prevent animal abuse and make the world a safe place for animals and our future generations. Most importantly, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals seeks your support in increasing awareness against animal cruelty. Thus, we must become responsible pet owners by focusing not only on the animal's basic needs but their positive experiences as well. Besides, we can intervene by reporting incidences of animal cruelty (Shih et al., 2019). My dear brothers and sisters ( short pause ), it is also essential that children are taught to respect and be kind to animals.
( Because any abusive behavior to the animal predisposes children to psychological damage, which would manifest through violence and crime in the children we work so hard to raise (Igra, 2019)).
To achieve that goal, our organization has recruited two new senior leaders to enforce animal welfare laws and educate the citizens on preventing abuse to animals. By treating animals with kindness and care, our relationship with people is improved, and our pursuit of these values will yield peace for society. Therefore, we seek your support in spreading the knowledge and creating awareness on the issue through our social media platforms in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, using the initials SPCA in all instances. You can also keep with the organization's updates through the website www.spca.org. Finally, it is our pleasure to be part of this large community of Rotarians with a just course. Just as Gandhi said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Thank You.
( Allow the Rotarians to ask eight questions and exit once all are tackled ).
Eight Q&A Questions and Talking Points
What are the responsibilities of an animal welfare officer?
Investigation of complaints, animal rescue, and animal cruelty awareness creation
Why are rats and mice excluded from the Animal Welfare Act?
Mice and rats are excluded from the act because they are the most suitable laboratory research animals and a source of knowledge for our medical advances (Frasch, 2017).
Who enforces the Animal Welfare Act?
The United States Department of Agriculture, through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, enforces the act.
How can one identify animal cruelty?
You will notice unexplained limping in animals and unprovoked aggression. Abused animals also tend to avoid physical contact.
What is the most abused animal?
Research suggests that dogs and horses are the most abused domestic animals (Frasch, 2017).
What has SPCA achieved concerning animal cruelty prevention?
SPCA has developed policies and supports animal rights groups to create awareness of cruelty against animals.
Why is animal welfare so important?
Because society is unsafe with individuals who abuse animals. For instance, other studies suggest such people are five times likely to commit violent crimes. Besides, the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
What are the examples of good and bad animal welfare?
Good examples include treatment when they are sick, shelter, humane handling, and humane slaughter. On the other hand, bad examples include intentional deprivation of basic needs and denial of emotional well-being.
An Update to the SPCA Blog
Let us give them a better life
As animal cruelty cases continue rising, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has recruited two senior leaders; Ellie Tsai, our new Executive Director, and Dr. Oliver Cloyd, our Chief Operating Officer. In his speech to the Rotarians at the downtown Marriott Hotel and Conference Centre, President Pierre Camberton stated that the recruitment aims to improve investigations into animal cruelty. Furthermore, he noted that the move would enhance the handling of animal complaints and raise awareness of animal welfare protection. The President emphasized the need to show care and kindness to animals to reduce violent criminal activities in the country related to animal cruelty.
References
Broom, D. M. (2017). Animal welfare in the European Union. Animal welfare in the European Union.
Connor et al., (2021). Factors Influencing the Prevalence of Animal Cruelty During Adolescence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(7-8), 3017-3040.
Frasch, P. D. (2017). Gaps in U.S. animal welfare law for laboratory animals: perspectives from an animal law attorney . ILAR Journal , 57(3), 285-292.
Igra, A. (2019). Mandate of Compassion: Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Palestine, 1919–1939. The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, 47(4), 773-799.
Shih et al., (2019). Socioeconomic Influences on Reports of Canine Welfare Concerns to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in Queensland, Australia. Animals, 9(10), 711.
