Society For The Protection Of Animals Abroad (SPANA)

General information

In the winter of 1921, Kate Hosali and her daughter Nina embarked on a voyage to North Africa in search of sunshine. Little did they know it was a journey that would last a lifetime.

Their adventure took them to remote towns and villages across the region. But what they found horrified them.

Kate and Nina saw malnourished donkeys and mules buckling under the weight of huge loads; camels struggling across the hard stony ground between Algeria and Tunisia with nothing more than piece of old rubber sewn into the pads of their feet; and cart animals with terrible wounds caused by the repeated rubbing of ill-fitting harnesses.

Back in Britain, Kate couldn’t escape thoughts of this ‘sea of neglected suffering’. So in 1923, she founded SPANA.

With great courage and dedication, Kate and Nina set about the job of creating a more compassionate world for working animals.

Their pioneering spirit and unwavering passion continues to inspire SPANA’s work around the world to this day.

Today, our dedicated vets and technicians treat hundreds of thousands of donkeys, horses, mules, camels and elephants around the globe every year. Alongside this, we build expertise among vets and promote humane care by animal owners. We also reach tens of thousands of children through our education programme, teaching respect and compassion for animals.