World Animal Day

World Animal Day, or World Animal Welfare Day, is observed every year on 4 October, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, who was regarded as the patron saint of animals.

The day is an international day of action for animal rights and welfare. It aims to raise the states of animals and improve their welfare

Aim

The main goal of World Animal Day  is to “raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe.”

“Building the celebration of World Animal Day unites the animal welfare movement, mobilizing it into a global force to make the world a better place for all animals,” mission of World Animal Day, as stated on the World Animal Day website.

“It’s celebrated in different ways in every country, irrespective of nationality, religion, faith, or political ideology.  Through increased awareness and education we can create a world where animals are always recognised as sentient beings and full regard is always paid to their welfare,” it adds.

History

World Animal Day originated in the year 1925, when cynologist Heinrich Zimmermann organised the first event on 24 March at the Sport Palace in Berlin. Over 5,000 people attended the event, which was originally scheduled for October 4, to align with the fest day of Saint Francis of Assisi.

As the venue was not available for October 4, the celebrations were moved to March 24 for the following year.

But in the years that followed, the day was observed on October 4. Today, World Animal Day is a global event that unites animal organisations, and animal protection movements from various countries.

The global celebrations are now led by UK-based animal welfare charity, Naturewatch Foundation.

Significance

World Animal Day is of great significance because “building the celebration of World Animal Day mobilises people for action now for a better future for animals.”

According to worldanimalday.org.uk, social movements have always been a major vehicle to draw ordinary people’s attention to politics and other key topics for social justice and reform.

As the lives of animals are profoundly affected by the actions of humans and businesses, it is, therefore, essential to establish effective animal control programs throughout the world.

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