The Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a registered animal welfare charity in Singapore. Late 19th century The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA, to differentiate from the British RSPCA) was established in Singapore on 27 March 1876. A committee, consisting of W.H. Read and John Cameron, the editor of The Straits Times, was to oversee its activities with William Adamson acting as its Chair and D.E.A. Hervey as the Honorary Secretary. The society's mission was to "inquire into the present law and to suggest such amendments and additions to it as may seem necessary for the carrying out of the objects of the Society." A subscription for membership cost $3 per year, or $25 for lifetime. In July 1878, the SPCA published its first annual report, highlighting the treatment of working animals: No matter how small they may be, weak or strong, sick or well, they are employed in conveying loads frequently above their strength, as for instance a cart load of bricks, about 400 to the load, weighing...1 ton 8 cwt [1.4 metric tons]. They are often beaten throughout the journey, and goaded on with those favorite native methods of torture - twisting the tails or progging with a point in tender places. By the mid-1880s, the SPCA held regular meetings among its members and actively addressed complaints involving the mistreatment of animals. Among its notable representatives was Inspector E.F. Paglar, who brought to court nine cases of animal abuse that resulted in the offender's incarceration in 1885. With the increasing involvement of municipal officials, including engineer James MacRitchie and coroner Alexander Gentle, both present at a meeting in July 1890, the Society began to debate the definition of cruelty in public with the stated goal of promoting awareness. Modern Days After the Japanese occupation of Singapore, the RSPCA, as it was known then, was restarted by Miss Lucia Bach, an Englishwoman. She ran a boarding house and also took in unwanted stray animals. In 1954, the RSPCA was set up formally and moved to Orchard Road, facilitated by the presence of an RSPCA from England to run the operation and train an inspector. Two additional staff members were hired as a telephone operator and a driver of its first official vehicle. When Singapore ceased to be a crown colony in 1959, RSPCA was renamed the SPCA. In 1984, the SPCA