Wild about wildlife?
Get involved with
World Animal Day
every 4 October
Each year 4 October is World Animal Day! These 24 hours are the chance to give back and celebrate animal life in all its shapes and sizes, from mice to elephants, and recognise the positive influence they have on our lives.
This special day was established in 1931 by ecologists in Florence in Italy and has now spread around the world, celebrating not just endangered and rare species, but all kinds of animal life. And the date 4 October is no coincidence – it is the same day as the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.
The aim of the day is to improve welfare standards and make the world a better place for all animals. I was recently in Kenya and met lots of people who were involved in animal welfare – their absolute dedication to the protection of native animals was amazing and seeing the animals in their natural habitat was totally mind blowing!
There are lots of ways to get involved on World Animal Day. You could hold a fundraising event for local animal charities, for example a concert or an animal related quiz night. Or how about donating tins of cat and dog food to local shelters. Schools can organise trips to shelters and farms, and in the workplace, why not try a Bring Your Dog to Work Day? And how many times do you ask family members what they would like for their birthday or Christmas, and they say they don’t know! This year I’ve got the solution … I’m going to adopt an animal for them – so they could be the proud ‘owner’ of a puffin, spider, red squirrel or a host of other worthy animals!
The World Animal Day website has loads of information about the day and loads of ideas about how you can get involved and create your own local events.
Go wild for wildlife on World Animal Day!