World Animal Day

World Animal Day is celebrated on October 4 every year. Heinrich Zimmermann, a German writer and publisher of the magazine Mensch und Hund (Man and Dog) came up with the idea of World Animal Day. He organised the first World Animal Day on March 14, 1925 in Berlin. The day was eventually moved to October 4 for the first time in 1929. Zimmermann worked tirelessly on the promotion of World Animal Day and in May 1931 at a congress of the world’s animal protection organisation in Florence, Italy, Zimmermann’s proposal to make October 4 World Animal Day universal was unanimously accepted. October 4 was chosen to be World Animal Day because it is the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of environment and animals. Throughout history, the lives of animals are affected by the actions of individuals, businesses and nations. Therefore, it is essential that the animals’ rightful status as recipients of social justice is established and translated into effective animal protection. Word Animal Day embraces all animals and the unique concerns of each, in every country. World Animal Day promotes advances in animal welfare standards.