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On World Animal Day (Oct. 4), we turn the spotlight on the animals that roam the Earth. Today, let’s work together and pledge to protect the creatures that, like us, call Earth their home planet.
World Animal Day isn’t actually a new celebration. It was first observed on March 24, 1925 in Berlin. The date was moved to Oct. 4 — the originally planned date — in 1929 as it was the feast day of St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology.
The event was launched to raise awareness, and hopefully improve, the welfare of animals all over the world.
Sure enough, even if humans share the Earth with these wonderful creatures, many of our actions have proved horrible for them. Habitat loss, for instance, is said to be the cause of higher extinction rates today. Other threats to animals include pollution, the introduction of non-native species and exploitation.
“The lives of animals are profoundly affected by the actions of individuals, businesses, and nations. It’s therefore essential that, as sentient beings, their rightful status as recipients of social justice is established and translated into effective animal protection,” according to World Animal Day’s website. “World Animal Day embraces all animals and the unique concerns of each, in every country, and makes animals front-page news.”
People can celebrate the day by looking for ways to protect animals, or perhaps by learning more about the creatures’ plight and sharing it with their friends.
You can also spread awareness by using the World Animal Day logo on your Twitter and Facebook profile pictures, donating to animal sanctuaries or making a pledge to help animals.
No matter how you choose to observe World Animal Day, the important thing is to spread the word and pledge to make the world a better place for all creatures to live in.
On this day, let’s look at some quotes that may just inspire you to do just that. (Courtesy: Brainy Quote, Buzzfeed and Good Reads)
- “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “Animals don’t hate, and we’re supposed to be better than them.” – Elvis Presley
- “Let us remember that animals are not mere resources for human consumption. They are splendid beings in their own right, who have evolved alongside us as co-inheritors of all the beauty and abundance of life on this planet.” – Marc Bekoff
- “Animals are more than ever a test of our character, of mankind’s capacity for empathy and for decent, honorable conduct and faithful stewardship. We are called to treat them with kindness, not because they have rights or power or some claim to equality, but in a sense because they don’t; because they all stand unequal and powerless before us.” – Matthew Scully
- “Lots of people talk to animals…Not very many listen though…that’s the problem.”
– A.A. Milne - “If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.” – James Herriot
- “Because we have viewed other animals through the myopic lens of our self-importance, we have misperceived who and what they are. Because we have repeated our ignorance, one to the other, we have mistaken it for knowledge.” – Tom Regan
- “True human goodness, in all its purity and freedom, can come to the fore only when its recipient has no power. Mankind’s true moral test, its fundamental test (which is deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals.” – Milan Kundera
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