On the website of the Naturewatch Foundation, the charitable organization promoting World Animal Day, you can read this sentence: “In an ideal world, we would celebrate animals every day, but in reality they still desperately need help.”
This is the starting point of World Animal Day, one of the most important and heartfelt observances in the world, with 100 volunteer ambassadors operating in more than 70 countries to promote it.
What is World Animal Day?
World Animal Day is celebrated on October 4 each year.
Its origins date back to 1925, when it was celebrated for the first time, but the official worldwide start date is 1931.
Why is it celebrated precisely on October 4?
The first World Animal Day was organized by Heinrich Zimmermann, writer and editor of the German magazine Mensch und Hund. It was March 24, 1925, and as many as 5,000 people attended the event.
The date of this world day was later moved to October 4, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, known for his unique and special bond with all living creatures.
World Animal Day: care, protection and love for every living species.
The evolution of World Animal Day
In 2003, the Naturewatch foundation launched a website dedicated to World Animal Day, with the goal of engaging as many people as possible around the world.
In 2007, the “Ambassador” program associated with this world day was launched, to further spread the message of safeguarding and protecting all living creatures on the planet.
The objective of World Animal Day
The purpose of World Animal Day is very profound and is found in its statement of intent: “To raise the status of animals.”
What does it mean? It means that this world day aims to inform, raise awareness, promote compassion, and guide real change toward the respect and protection of every living being.
Let’s support all the animals of the world to protect their future.
How is World Animal Day celebrated?
The Naturewatch Foundation invites people to visit the official World Animal Day website, available in several languages.
On the portal, the main objective of this world day is reiterated: to raise the status of animals, in order to improve their standard of welfare globally.
Over time, World Animal Day has become a true movement for welfare, capable of mobilizing a global force to make the world a better place for all living beings.
On the occasion of World Animal Day, numerous awareness initiatives are in fact organized to protect them, take care of them and, if needed, save them.
The official website allows events organized in different countries of the world to be included, provides tools for organization, and makes useful resources available for dissemination, such as ready-to-use photo and text kits.
There is also a database that makes it possible to find out what is happening in different countries on October 4, through an interactive map and a drop-down menu to check which events are active in different cities of the world on this day.
Among the many activities, there are for example fundraisers, challenges for recycling cans and bottles to promote the welfare of donkeys’ hooves, funding to create an album for animal rights, and many school initiatives dedicated to the conservation of the species. In short, everything and more to help our animal friends!
There is also a World Animal Day scholarship, which allows ambassadors to request funding for projects undertaken in their own countries.
On the occasion of this world day, the Naturewatch Foundation selects the projects with the greatest potential for positive impact to improve the condition of animals all over the world and finances them so that they can become a concrete reality.
When a bee works, nature says thank you.
Biodiversity and the role of animals
Now that we have explored what World Animal Day is and how it is celebrated, we can reflect on a fundamental theme: biodiversity.
The loss of biodiversity can generate food and energy insecurity, but also make the planet more vulnerable to natural disasters, undermining the health of society and impoverishing cultural traditions.
Every species, small or large, plays an indispensable role in the balance of the ecosystem.
And when a species is at risk, this has an impact not only on its survival, but also on the entire habitat.
Biodiversity, therefore, has an inestimable value, and deserves to be protected on the occasion of World Animal Day.
ISPRA (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) underlines that over one third of human foods, such as fruit, seeds and vegetables, depends on pollinating insects: bees, wasps, flies, birds, bats and butterflies.
These living beings, by transporting pollen, enable fertilization. Biodiversity is also the basis for energy production and for many raw materials indispensable for human survival.
We chose this topic because the essential role of animals in the conservation of biodiversity is often underestimated.
Biodiversity in Italy
It is the “variety of living organisms in their different forms and in their respective ecosystems” (Source: Wikipedia Biodiversity page).
ISPRA reminds us on a dedicated page that biodiversity enhances the productivity of any ecosystem, whether soils, forests, or lakes.
An example? If the bee disappeared from the face of the earth, humans would have only four years of life left.
La biodiversità in Italia
Italy is one of the European countries with the richest biodiversity. In addition to its abundant flora and fauna, Italy is characterized by the presence of endemic species, that is, species that live only within its borders.
As for the flora, that is, the list of plant species, in Italy there are 8,249 entities, of which 21% are endemic, therefore exclusive to our country. (Source: ISPRA Environmental Indicators).
Italian fauna (the set of animal species and populations) is composed of about 60,000 species, many of which are threatened by dangers such as climate change, pollution, the introduction of alien species, and excessive hunting and fishing.
How can we protect biodiversity and animals?
World Animal Day represents an opportunity to pause and reflect on the importance of the animal kingdom and on how to protect the biodiversity that surrounds us.
Each of us can do our part beyond this world day as well, by getting informed and adopting responsible behaviors toward animals, both domestic and wild.
It is also important to observe appropriate rules when visiting natural parks or living in cities, in order to promote the conservation of species and the ecosystem.
How sweet is this Lysmata Amboinensis? Every creature, even a tiny one, has a vital role in the kingdom of nature.
Curiosities about the animal kingdom
To conclude this article dedicated to World Animal Day and celebrate biodiversity, we thought of telling about some ‘special’ behaviors that creatures adopt, to remind us of their uniqueness and wonder.
We were inspired by this very interesting article by Kodami that tells about some bizarre behaviors in the animal kingdom.
Beware of ghosts!
Some creatures, to escape predators, manage to make themselves transparent to the point of becoming invisible. This behavior is typical of marine environments, and an example is the glass octopus, as well as the cleaner shrimp, which become transparent by modifying the outermost body layer.
The infinite sweetness of guinea pigs
Guinea pigs are little animals native to South America, known in Europe for about 400 years. They are docile and affectionate, and often lick their owner, expressing a clear sign of affection. We are used to noticing this behavior in dogs, as we recounted in this article dedicated to their emotions, but it is surprising to see it also in guinea pigs, especially when they seek comfort during a visit to the veterinarian.
Poor little male!
The praying mantis is famous for sexual cannibalism: during mating, the female feeds on the male starting from the head.
This behavior, however gruesome, is linked to the accumulation of nutrients necessary for egg-laying. But some males, recognizing the danger, have gotten clever: they run away, avoiding courting the female, thus saving their skin!
Butterflies and tears
This curiosity evokes a work of art, and yet, in some parts of the world a special phenomenon can be observed: butterflies that drink the tears of birds, turtles, and even crocodiles. This behavior, known as lachryphagy, allows them to obtain valuable nutrients such as salt and proteins.
Eight eggs, no more!
The great tit is an adorable little bird that lays exactly eight eggs, neither one more nor one less. This number corresponds exactly to the chicks that the pair manages to raise in a sustainable way. If more eggs are added artificially, the great tit might incubate them, but it would not be able to adequately feed all the chicks once they are born.
“After lots of play, I’m taking a little rest… What are your plans for today?”
The most bizarre behaviors of our furry friends
For World Animal Day, speaking about biodiversity, we can ask ourselves why our furry friends sometimes seem so special to us…
For example, why do they turn in circles before lying down or chase their own tail? Or how come they dig endless holes in the garden?
When a dog turns in circles before lying down, it is following a primordial instinct inherited from wolves, who prepared the ground to rest. By turning around, in fact, dogs prepare a natural bed and also check that there are no other little animals by flattening the ground.
And why do they dig holes in the garden? This gesture, which sometimes makes us tear our hair out if by chance we have planted flowers, goes back to the habit of hiding food in a cool and safe place.
“Hold on while I knead my beloved human a little.”
“Special” behaviors in cats too
Cats are masters of particular behaviors!
When they bring us lizards, little mice or dead little birds, they are trying to share their loot with us to show us affection, as well as subtly suggesting to us that perhaps we are not very good hunters!
And why do they lick our face? This gesture is a real and proper manifestation of affection. In some cases, cats may even lick our hair, trying to keep it clean just as they would with their own coat.
Finally, why do kittens “knead the bread” with their paws on our belly or on a blanket? This very tender gesture repeats the movement they made as kittens while they were receiving milk from their mother, conveying a sweet sensation of tranquility.
Every animal has a unique role: let’s protect them together for a fairer world.
Our commitment to animal welfare
These tender, bizarre, at times decidedly outlandish behaviors help us understand the value, greatness, uniqueness, and wonder of the animal kingdom.
That is why we feel like concluding this article with a reflection on one of the central themes of World Animal Day: the choice not to conduct experiments on animals.
This topic is undoubtedly very delicate, because it intertwines with science and medicine, but each of us can do our part.
We have always said no to animal testing. Our goal is to produce safe cosmetics, free of SLS, SLES, and ingredients potentially harmful to animals and to those who care for them.
For us, as we write on the page dedicated to our Philosophy, the list of ingredients is not only a legal obligation, but an act of responsibility and transparency, which helps people choose products that do not contain petroleum derivatives, preferring plant-based surfactants.
This result was achieved thanks to a team of experts who helped us create completely cruelty-free products, designed with passion, solely for the well-being of our pets.
On World Animal Day, our thoughts therefore go to all creatures that need to be protected and to all the animals of the world, with the wish that they may have a life full of the love and happiness they deserve.
