About Us
OneKind exists to end cruelty to Scotland’s wildlife, pets and other animals through campaigns, research and education.
Based in Edinburgh, our work is focused on Scotland’s wildlife, pets and lab animals. We also work across the UK and internationally in partnership with other animal welfare organisations.
We believe that people and animals aren’t that different. We all think, feel and love. And we’re all capable of suffering. Human kind, Animal kind…. We’re all OneKind in the end. Yet, in the wild, the pet trade, labs and farms, animals are suffering at an unprecedented scale at the hands of people.
OneKind are here to change this. To give animals a voice through campaigning and lobbying for laws that will protect them forever. Our aim is to inspire people to make changes in their lives to reduce their negative impact on animals.
If we’re to succeed, we need everyone to take action. That’s why we work in the mainstream of the animal protection movement. We have decades of experience in helping to shape the legislative and cultural landscapes through high-profile campaigns, political lobbying, investigations and public education. We take a practical, evidence-based approach to understanding and developing solutions to animal welfare problems.
Please help us end cruelty to Scotland’s animals by joining us as a supporter. As a supporter, you give us and the animals we represent a louder voice, and help make our campaigns, research and education happen.
We have three big priorities that guide all of our work at the moment.
1. Protect Scotland’s wildlife from cruelty
From seals to otters, hedgehogs to foxes, buzzards to geese… Scotland is home to an extraordinary range of wild animals. Yet, the welfare of these animals is rarely considered, especially when they are considered fair game for culls or bloodsports. OneKind believes all wild animals in Scotland should be given the respect they deserve and protected from pointless cruelty.
We were instrumental in getting the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 passed, which aimed to ban hunting wild mammals with dogs, and our campaign for a ban on the use of snares led to the introduction of new welfare standards for their use. We are still, however, calling for a complete ban of these cruel traps.
2. End the suffering of animals involved in the pet trade
The pet trade in Scotland and the rest of the UK is out of control, causing profound suffering to its victims. Internet retail, backroom intensive breeding, and the demand for ever more exotic species have all combined to create a dangerous and uncaring environment for the animals caught up in this trade. With over 1000 species now involved in the industry, exotic animals are at particular risk. Our work in defence of these animals, including the shocking report Pet Origins, has led to a major review of the industry by the Scottish Government that will take place in 2016.
OneKind has also played a leading role in protecting pets from cruelty and uncaring owners. We led the way to a ban in tail docking in Scotland, for example, and have run a long campaign to get the use of electric shock collars banned too.
3. End experiments on animals for lifestyle products
OneKind was founded in 1911 as the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Vivisection, and we’re still carrying on this work today. However, as the applications of animals in science grown, so have the number of individuals involved in research and product testing. Separate figures for Scotland do not exist, but in the UK overall, 3.8 million animals were used in scientific procedures in 2014. 184,000 of these animals are thought to have experienced severe suffering.
OneKind is focused on securing a ban on animal testing in the development of lifestyle products such as those used for cleaning. We are also calling for greater transparency in information relating to the animal testing in Scotland and the rest of the UK, as it is currently shrouded in secrecy.