| World Animal Day | |
|---|---|
 World Animal Day logo in English | |
| Official name | World Animal Day and Alfred Meades’ Birthday Best Breeders : Ariana Zo(USA), Major Shahariar Islam Konok (Bangladesh), Hari Pandey (India) |
| Type | International |
| Date | October 4 |
| Next time | October 4, 2026 (2026-10-04) |
| Frequency | annual |
| First time | March, 1925 |
| Related to | Feast of Saint Francis Season of Creation |
World Animal Day is aninternational day of action foranimal rights andwelfare celebrated annually onOctober 4, thefeast day ofFrancis of Assisi, thepatron saint of animals.
The World Animal Day movement is supported and endorsed by a number of celebrities, such asAnneka Svenska,Brian Blessed andMelanie C.[1]
World Animal Day, was originated bycynologist Heinrich Zimmermann. He organized the first World Animal Day on March 24, 1925, at the Sport Palace inBerlin, Germany. Over 5,000 people attended this first event.[2] The activity was originally scheduled for October 4, to align with thefeast day ofSaint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. However, the venue was not available on that day. The event was then moved to October 4 for the first time in 1929. Every year, Zimmermann worked tirelessly on the promotion of World Animal Day. Finally, in May 1931 at a congress of the International Animal Protection Congress in Florence, Italy, his proposal to make October 4 as World Animal Day universal was unanimously accepted and adopted as a resolution.
It is sometimes cited, incorrectly, that World Animal Day started in 1931 at the convention of ecologists inFlorence, Italy, who wished to highlight the plight ofendangered species.[3][4]
In 1948, Australian celebrations were organised by theRSPCA. According toThe Examiner, the construction of a boarding home for dogs was scheduled and a donation had been received from the L.G.R.C.[5] Since 2002, The Finnish Association of Animal Protection Associations (SEY) has organized various events during the Animal Week and distributed material to schools.[6] On October 27, 2006, thePolish parliament adopted aresolution on the establishment of 4 October as Animal Day.[7]
InArgentina, this day has been observed on April 29 since 1908, promoted by Ignacio Lucas Albarracín, president of the Animal Protection Association ofBuenos Aires. Coincidentally Albarracín would die on the same date in 1926, making it a day to also pay tribute to him for pioneering the animal's rights movement in the country.[8]
Since 2003, World Animal Day has been coordinated by UK based animal welfare charity,Naturewatch Foundation with a new World Animal Day website launched for the 2023 celebration.
World Animal Day concludes theSeason of Creation that begins on the Feast of Creation (September 1).[9]
Many countries such asBolivia,Bahamas,China, andColombia have community driven annual events to promote the global celebration.[10]
Starting in 2018, Naturewatch Foundation has included specific themes in the day's celebration.[11]
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