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World Animal Welfare Day 2023: History, theme, importance, quotes, facts

World Animal Day is about promoting the rights, needs and welfare of the animals. The objective is to give the appreciation to even the most overlooked creatures

World Animal Welfare Day

World Animal Welfare Day 2023

Sonika Nitin Nimje New Delhi

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World Animal Day or World Creature Animal Welfare Day or World Animal Protection Day is a yearly occasion that intends to celebrate animal rights and welfare all over the planet. It unites and mobilises the animal protection movement into a global force to make the world a superior place for all animals. 
This vital event helps us to remember our duty to safeguard and focus on our numerous species that live on the planet. Together, we can stop the pain and cruelty caused for creatures and transform the way the world functions. 

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World Animal Day: History

The idea of World Animal Day was at first brought by Heinrich Zimmerman, a writer and publisher of the German magazine “Mensch und Hund” (Man and Dog). At the Sports Palace in Berlin, Germany; he coordinated the first World Animal Day on March 24, 1925. Shockingly, over 5,000 individuals went to this event.
Zimmerman was committed to advancing World Animal Day. In May 1931, his proposal to formally mark October 4 as World Creature Day got consistent endorsement and was taken on as a resolution during the International Animal Protection Congress in Florence, Italy.
To additionally extend the range of this occasion, in 2003, the UK-based animal welfare charity, Naturewatch Foundation, launched the World Animal Day site. This drive planned to associate with and affect significantly more individuals in the cause.

World Animal Day: Theme

As per the official website, World Animal Day's theme is "Great or Small, Love Them All". Behind this theme, the motive is to give importance to all beings, big and small, and appreciate even the most overlooked animals for who they are. 
"Whether it's our beloved companions at home or the wild animals we admire from afar, animals of all shapes and sizes play a critical role in our lives. They bring us joy, comfort, and companionship, and they remind us of the interconnectedness of all living things," the official website mentions. 
It further added, "This year, we want to highlight the ways in which we can show our love and appreciation for animals, both big and small". 

What is the importance of World Animal Day? 

World Animal Day unites committed animal lovers worldwide, and they take part in different unique ways to promote animal protection and conservation. Throughout the years, the contribution of individuals in World Animal Day has essentially expanded, prompting a large number of inspiring occasions occurring in numerous nations.

World Animal Day 2023: Quotes

    • If a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better than humans.
    • Animals are nothing but living beings, worthy of our compassion, respect, friendship and support.       
    • The eyes of an animal have a great power to speak the language.      
    • Life is as dear to a silent creature as it is to a human.      
    • Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.

Animal Day: Interesting facts

In 1929 for the first time, World Animal Day was marked on October 4, which was its original date (in 1925, the Sports Palace was inaccessible the same day).
On October 4th, #WorldAnimalDay turned into a trending theme via social media globally, and more than 1,000 occasions are coordinated every year in the festival.
Francis was popular for his deep love for animals and died on this day. In different areas, it stays a practice for churches to bless creatures on October 4 to pay tribute to his legacy. 
World Animal Day boasts an organisation of 90 ambassadors in more than 70 nations, going from Andorra and Australia to the US and Zimbabwe.
At first, this day was marked in Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Czechoslovakia.

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First Published: Oct 04 2023 | 2:52 PM IST

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