 |
| -Image courtesy of Naturewatch Foundation |
By the time you read this, World Animal Day may be over, but some events continue throughout October and that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t consider some of the campaigns which are currently underway, or get ideas for next year. In fact, why wait? Let’s make every day World Animal Day as the Naturewatch Foundation would like us to do.
The date chosen is for the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals. The first World Animal Day was organised by Heinrich Zimmermann in 1925. Since 2003 it has been hosted by UK-based Animal Welfare Organisation, Naturewatch Foundation, which has almost 100 ambassadors in 70 countries around the world and 50 million people who now celebrate or participate in World Animal Day. This year’s theme is about seeing the world through their eyes.
Animals are in dire need all over the world, but many previous campaigns are starting to bear fruit. For instance, more and more countries are banning Animal Testing for especially for cosmetics and household products because modern in vitro experiments and digital modelling are often more reliable than anything tested on animals. You can also sign Naturewatch Foundation’s petition here.
Wildlife Crime
Wild animals and birds are under threat everywhere due to habitat loss and human activities. Ongoing efforts to eliminate poaching, trafficking and Trophy hunting of wild animals continue as well as those opposing Fox and Deer Hunting, Hare Coursing and Badger Baiting -all jolly old traditional sports which involve a great deal of misery for the unwilling victims. Although most of us understand that animals must sometimes be culled or killed, there is no reason why their lives should be full of suffering or their end should be cruel.
Animals as Entertainment
The use of animals in spectator sports such as Bullfighting, Cockfighting, Greyhound Racing or as tourist attractions or entertainment in places like Zoos, Circuses and Aquariums is also being slowly eliminated. I have written quite a bit about those in previous Good News posts so I won't go into them in detail here but just add some of the latest news.
Farm Animals, Domesticated Animals and Companion Animals
Horse and Donkey Rides have come in for increasing condemnation, especially as temperatures rise. The seaside town of Porthcawl in South Wales has ended a 100-year-old tradition of donkey and pony rides on its beaches in part due to concerns about the effect of hot beaches and crowding on the animals themselves. Several Spanish tourist hotspots have also placed various restrictions on such rides. See for example the following:
- Málaga city: The mayor announced an immediate ban on horse-drawn carriage rides for tourists in October 2025
- Mijas (Costa del Sol): This is about weight limits, not an outright ban. The bylaws bar anyone over 80kg from taking the donkey taxi, which was described as a compromise between campaigners and the muleteers. There are also heat restrictions. Campaigners are still pushing for a full ban, and an Olive Press report from August 2026 says animal rights groups have accused local officials of letting donkey taxis run despite orange heat alerts.
- Santorini in Greece has had a weight limit of 100 kg (220kg) for riders since 2018, though critics say it doesn't go far enough. There may be more recent information on this, but this is all Claude has found.
New Campaigns
Protect Animals, Protect People
There are some interesting developments which link animal cruelty and domestic violence. See for example Holly’s Law. Ruby’s Law by contrast, not only reinforces that connection, but calls for greater protection for pets in abusive relationships.
Scroll on By
One of the more recent campaigns concerns Social Media. The Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition, an offshoot of Asia for Animals is about ending the proliferation of animal cruelty on Social media and making online platforms more accountable as well as collaborating with them to reduce and remove such images. They ask people to think about what they see on line about animals. For example, it asks us to consider whether the animal is being restrained or can it move freely? Is it being made to perform or wear human clothing? Does the action involve some type of cruelty? Why is the person filming an animal which appears to be in distress and not helping? Some are just trying to extract money from you by taking advantage of an animal's suffering or by evoking your sympathy or even your outrage. Some get paid for clicks.
It advises not giving such images the exposure they want by Being aware, not engaging with them, and reporting them instead. Selfies with animals are also frowned upon, since they disrupt an animals natural behaviour. Click here for how to report to the various platforms.
Greed Breeders
Puppy Mills and Kitten Mills, especially illegal ones where the owner’s profit from rapid turnaround is placed ahead of the health and well-being of the animals involved are being heavily targeted both in the UK and the rest of Europe. Only about 10-14% of these places are registered, so if you know of illegal ones, they should be reported too. See more here
Ending the Sale of Catapults
Retailers in the UK are being urged to stop selling catapults to people under 18. This is because there have been ugly reports of young people using them to kill birds, domestic pets and even injuring people, reflecting a rather alarming trend. In 2022 for example, two teens broke into the Swan Support Sanctuary in Berkshire and "tortured" the animals for 20 minutes, killing two cygnets and two adults. Gulls and ducklings have also been targets.
Unfortunately, banning sales of catapults is unlikely to stop young people making their own and still doing awful things. Whatever happened to taking aim at bottles and cans? Obviously, what is needed is a change of attitude. Albert Bandura showed in the 1960s that children copy what they see adults do, so what they see matters, and so do the people who show them how to treat animals kindly. It also highlights the importance of the Social Media campaign, since they too are a form of modelling.
Teaching Empathy
Naturewatch has a school programme aimed at younger children. Unconfirmed social media reports say that Denmark has recently introduced a national school curriculum that makes animal welfare and empathy towards animals mandatory in public schools. This program, which began in 2025, teaches students how to interact safely and responsibly with animals, covering topics like responsible pet ownership and living safely with dogs. The initiative is designed to be a core part of the curriculum rather than a one-off seminar or optional module.
Animal Lover’s group, The Furbaby Squad from whom I have 'borrowed' this story, say that “Studies from European educational institutes show that children who grow up learning empathy toward animals develop:
✔️ Stronger emotional intelligence
✔️ Lower levels of aggression
✔️ Higher cooperation and problem-solving
✔️ Greater social responsibility and kindness toward peers”
The Hague has launched a primary school curriculum on animal welfare that teaches what looking after a pet really involves, which should also lead to better animal welfare outcomes.
What we can do
On the Naturewatch website there are also tips on how to host your own events, how to engage your school and other organisations and how you can help animals in shelters. See for example, the delightful Donate a Dinner Campaign. For other ways to get involved click here or see the event planning toolkit for next year here. There is much more which could be said, but I am in a hurry to get this out.
Have a lovely World Animal Day with your furred, feathered or scaly mates.
Thanks to Claude foe proofreading and formatting the first draft and apologies for adding any new typos. Both Claude and Ecosia have had a hand in supplying links and information
Comments