The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is Europe's largest wildlifeconservationcharity. It has over one million members—that is more than the UK's three main political parties combined.
It was founded in 1889 in England, initially to stop the use of grebe "fur"—the use of the plumage of the Great Crested Grebe on ladies' clothing to simulate real fur. Great Crested Grebes were close to extinction before the RSPB campaign.
As of 2001, the RSPB had 168 bird reserves in the United Kingdom, covering 1,150 km².
The RSPB is a registered charity.
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it
is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."
- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)