World Animal Day and How To Celebrate
What Is World Animal Day?
World Animal Day takes place annually on October 4th. Its mission is “to raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe.” The holiday was started by Polish writer and publisher Heinrich Zimmermann, who organized the first World Animal Day event in Berlin in 1925. The event was held on March 24th and attended by 5,000 people.
The date for World Animal Day was later changed to coincide with the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. Francis was well known for his love of animals and his belief that all creatures were brothers and sisters under God. He died on October 4th, 1226. More than 700 years after his death, in 1929, Zimmermann moved the celebration of World Animal Day to October 4th, and it’s been celebrated on that day ever since.
Today, World Animal Day is a day to raise awareness and promote the education of animal welfare. This encompasses the plights of animals worldwide, such as factory farming, abuse, overpopulation, lack of veterinary care, and the urgent need for conservation practices.
How To Celebrate World Animal Day
Because World Animal Day centers around animal education, awareness, and activism, there are many ways to celebrate on October 4th and do your part for animal welfare! World Animal Day events and activities often vary by place, depending on the animal issues specific to certain regions. Here are some of the ways World Animal Day can be celebrated:
Volunteering at a local animal shelter
Raising awareness via social media or in-person events
Fundraising for animal welfare organizations
Animal welfare education held at schools and other public places
Spay and neuter or veterinary treatment campaigns
Peaceful protesting
Animal adoption events
For all of us at IVO, every day is World Animal Day! We’re on a mission to create a healthy global community free of animal suffering. This October, 2022, we’re accomplishing this by launching a pilot program in Dodoma, Tanzania, where we’ll promote dog welfare in a community without access to veterinary care. Help us support the dogs of Dodoma today!
Here at International Veterinary Outreach (IVO), we want to improve the lives of people and animals worldwide, and you can help us do it! Donate now to support our international conservation efforts and animal health programs! Find out how you can get involved, sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date, and learn more about our decade of positive impact!
