Did You Know? 160 Years of Fun ASPCA Facts

On April 10, the ASPCA reached an impressive milestone of 160 years of lifesaving work. From day one, we have depended on the generosity of compassionate people like you. Your monthly Guardian gifts have allowed us to continue our lifesaving legacy, create new and innovative programs that help save more lives, and make a direct impact on millions of animals … and counting! Thank you for your generous support.

You can imagine we have seen a lot over the past 160 years. As we take a peek into our archives, we’ve compiled a few fun facts that you may not know about us. And we’re sharing them exclusively with you.

• An often-forgotten legacy of ASPCA founder Henry Bergh’s is that he co-founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in 1874. The most famous case involved Mary Ellen Wilson, a nine-year-old orphan whose guardians neglected and abused her. A social worker appealed to Bergh for help, and ASPCA officers liberated Mary Ellen on the grounds of unlawful detention. In court, Mary Ellen’s foster mother was sentenced to one year in the penitentiary, and Mary Ellen was adopted by the social worker. Mary Ellen went on to live a meaningful and productive life, raising biological, adopted and stepchildren of her own.

• Bergh’s travel journals cover two major journeys, in 1847-1850 and 1858-1862, detailing his and his wife Matilda’s trips around the world. These experiences, and Bergh’s personal connections, led to his appointment to the embassy in St. Petersburg by President Lincoln. During his trip back to the U.S. through London, he was he was inspired by a visit to the RSPCA — founded in 1824 — to start the ASPCA. The travel journals were donated to the ASPCA by the descendants of Bergh’s siblings in the late 20th century.
• Sketches from Bergh’s travel diaries include a man descending a pyramid, which helped cement Bergh’s love of all things Egyptian. (Bergh reportedly climbed a pyramid himself.) He rallied support for the installation of Cleopatra’s Needle in Central Park, near the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Buried at the site is a time capsule said to include ASPCA items. Cleopatra’s Needle is reflected in the pyramid mausoleum where Bergh and Matilda are interred in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery.

• In the early 1900s, ASPCA Special Agent Catherine Campbell fought societal prejudices and challenges to protect animals. With her commanding personality, the agent stopped teamsters from mistreating their horses and made them turn themselves in. “I always deal with these offenders in a cool, quiet manner,” she told the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. “The delivery of quiet, forceful commands certainly does the business, and that is all I am interested in.”

• In the 1950s, the ASPCA Hospital and Clinic was referred to as “Hospital with a Heart.” The hospital advertised its need for specific pieces of equipment in virtually every issue of the ASPCA magazine, Animal Protection, including a microscope that cost $732.39, an aspirator for $107.50 and an eye syringe for $7.40.

• Beginning in 1958, travelers with pets could drop them off at the Animalport at Idlewild Airport (now JFK), which provided services for animals being transported by air. ASPCA staff walked the dogs before placing them in shipping crates, then delivered them to planes for loading. The port also housed and cared for farm animals, zoo animals and exotics. The U.S. Equestrian team used the facility when shipping their horses overseas for Olympic competition. Operational for 36 years, Animalport closed in 1994.

• The ASPCA’s first mobile adoption vehicle was called the “Arkmobile.” Notable appearances included April 1968, when it drew more than 500 children at an event in Harlem, and 1974, at the Empire Cat Show at Madison Square Garden, where 23 animals were adopted.
• The ASPCA has made its mark across radio and television for generations. In the 1950s, members of the Humane Education department regularly contributed to radio broadcasts on responsible pet care and other animal-related topics. ABC’s “Discovery” filmed the ASPCA in 1967 for a two-part TV series, calling it a “first-hand look at the World’s Biggest Doghouse.” In 2001, The Animal Planet TV Network began airing “Animal Precinct,” a seven-year reality series about the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement team which was also the subject of an HBO documentary titled “Animal Cops.” The ASPCA’s history of agents, including those on “Animal Precinct,” evolved into the NYPD partnership in 2014.

Throughout 2026, the ASPCA is sharing highlights from our organization’s rich and sometimes unexpected 160-year history. Thank you for being part of our legacy and standing with us in the years to come.

Related stories in the ASPCA 160 series:

160 Years On, Our Founder’s Mission Still Stands Strong

Championing Spay/Neuter Helped Define ASPCA in the 20th Century and Beyond

Then and Now: How the ASPCA Protects Pets from Toxic Dangers

The Law That Launched a Movement for Animals

The ASPCA Turns 160: Celebrating Our History