World Animal Day
October 4, 2017
World Animal Day is an international day of action for animal rights and welfare celebrated annually on October 4, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals
The mission of World Animal Day, according to the official World Animal Day website 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, mobilising it into a global force to make the world a better place for all animals. 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.
World Animal Day was originated by Heinrich Zimmermann, the German writer and publisher of the magazine Mensch und Hund/Man and Dog. He organized the first World Animal Day on 24 March 1925 at the Sport Palace in Berlin, Germany. Over 5,000 people attended this first event.
The event was originally scheduled for 4 October, to align with the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology; however the venue was not available on that day. The event was moved to 4 October for the first time in 1929.
Involvement by animal welfare organizations, community groups, youth and children’s clubs, businesses and individuals is growing at an astonishing rate and it’s now widely accepted and celebrated in a variety of different ways in many countries, with no regard to nationality, religion, faith or political ideology
Source: www.en.wikipedia.org
Image Credit: www.worldanimalday.org.uk / www.change.org / www.indiasamvad.co.in
