On October 4, people across the globe will take part in celebrating World Animal Day. The mission of World Animal Day is to promote the welfare of our planet’s animals and raise current standards to protect them and their ecosystems. This holiday is special because it commemorates all animals and recognizes each of their unique roles in our world. Unfortunately the importance of our planet’s animals is often overlooked and as a result many animals suffer from the consequences of human behavior.
On this day, we urge you to reflect on your lifestyle habits and how they affect animals everywhere. However, a one day celebration is not enough to ensure the safety of animals. Here are 4 ways you can change in order to protect the world’s animals:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – many animals suffer from the affects of pollution, from greenhouse gases to plastic waste. Making simple lifestyle choices like using less plastic and decreasing your carbon footprint can have a significant impact on animals.
Be conscious of your cosmetics – research & use cosmetics that do not test on animals. You’d be surprised at how many popular cosmetics brands continue to practice animal testing!
Adopt don’t shop – give animals a second chance a life by adopting them from local shelters, fostering them until they find loving homes, and donating money to pet protection organizations/rescues. According to the ASPCA, 7.6 million animals are placed in animal shelters and 2.7 million of those animals are euthanized.
Join organizations – many of our planet’s animals are endangered because of humans. Habitat loss, climate change, and poaching are three major issues that threaten animal species. You can help fight these issues by joining organizations such as, World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, and the International Anti-Poaching Foundation.
