Date: Saturday, 4 October 2025
Coordinator: Naturewatch Foundation – a UK-based animal welfare charity
Objective:
World Animal Day is celebrated annually to raise awareness of animals’ status and improve welfare standards worldwide.
History:
The first World Animal Day was organized on 24 March 1925 at the Sports Palace in Berlin, Germany. Over 5,000 people attended the first event.
In 1929, World Animal Day was celebrated for the first time on October 4 by people in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Czechoslovakia, in alignment with the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology.
In May 1931, at a meeting of the International Animal Protection Congress, Zimmerman’s proposal to make October 4th World Animal Day a universal celebration was unanimously accepted and adopted as a resolution.
Since 2003, World Animal Day has been led and sponsored by Naturewatch Foundation – a UK-based animal welfare charity.
How to celebrate World Animals Day:
On that day, individuals, animal welfare organizations, community groups, and youth or children’s clubs are encouraged to host or arrange various events to honor World Animal Day. The events include educational and promotional activities such as pet adoption, animal blessing services, social media campaigns, etc. Volunteers and activists worldwide can use the day to draw attention to some of the most pressing challenges facing animals.
Official website:
www.worldanimalday.org.uk/about_us
