Today is Victoria Day. We wanted to take a moment to remember what she did for animals.

Image by Graham Harrop

Queen Victoria had a commitment to anti-vivisection and to animal welfare. She was horrified to learn of the work of Claude Bernard, a French physiologist who conducted experiments on animals, particularly dogs, that included dissecting live animals. When Englishman George Hoggan described it all so vividly, she convened a Royal Commission into Vivisection. Baron Lister fiercely defended animal research. Sadly, the result wasn’t what Queen Victoria hoped for – but there was a ban on surgical training on animals as a result. She also granted the Royal Charter to the young SPCA, making it the RSPCA. Queen Victoria tried to make a difference when it came to animal experimentation and welfare. That is more than many people can say!