Australia
Australia Post Special Issue Stamps
Australia Post issued a series of stamps featuring cats and dogs for World
Animal Day. The stamp issue featured a $1 stamp with Edward, the Jack Russell
terrier and four 50c stamps depicting Max, the Labrador puppy, Ezzie, the black
and white cat, Lily and Bridie, the West Highland Terriers and Tinkerbell, the
ginger kitten.
PACAT Film Fundraiser, Mount Lawley, Western Australia
Fremantle-based PACAT (People Against Cruelty in Animal Transport) held a
fundraising showing of 'Vanity Fair', together with drinks and nibbles, at Mount
Lawley's Astor Cinema on 7 October, raising over Aus$700 for their campaigning
work.
RSPCA Victoria WAD Gala Evening
RSPCA Victoria held a special Gala Evening at the Park Hyatt Melbourne on
Friday 1 October, raising over Aus$90,000 for the Society's animal rescue and
adoption work. The highlight of the evening was an auction of a variety of
wonderful items, including donations ranging from flights over Antarctica and a
trip to a Malaysian beach resort, to a barbecue and a gas cooker! Other
attractions included a performance by comedian Jimeoin and a dance band.
 RSPCA Victoria WAD Children's Celebration Day
As
well as the Gala Evening for the grown-ups, RSPCA Victoria also held a magnificent Celebration Day for children, which
included a range of competitions and activities, such as face painting, dog
agility demonstrations, sheep
shearing, arts and crafts, behind the scenes tours and a sausage sizzle, plus the
chance to meet meet some of the RSPCA vets. Kylie Smith (pictured right with a
furry friend!) from Australia's Channel
10 television show 'Totally Wild' appeared as a special guest.
Timbavati White Lions at Mogo Zoo, New South Wales
Three white lion cubs, which arrived at Mogo in September from South Africa,
were shown to the public for the first time on World Animal Day. There are
currently no white lions left in the wild, as they were hunted to the brink of
extinction, and the plan is that the three five-month-old cubs will form part of
a breeding programme that will eventually allow these rare animals to be
released to live wild in the Timbavati reserve in South Africa. No lions bred as
a result of this programme will be passed on to any zoo or other institution in
Australasia.
Canada
Animal Blessing Service, Kingston, Ontario
On Sunday, October 3 there was a Blessing of the Animals held at St George’s Cathedral, Kingston. The service is traditionally held to celebrate all of God’s creatures and the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, the monk who loved animals.
The animals (on leashes or in pet containers) were all welcome and were very
well behaved! The service took the form of a a Choral Eucharist.
Niagara Action for Animals Penny Sale, Welland, Ontario
Niagara Action for Animals held a Penny Sale at Seaway Mall, Welland, Ontario on 2 and 3 October. Funds raised
were split between their 'hands on' projects (re-homing and providing veterinary care for a variety of companion animals) and 'outreach' - educating people about animal-related issues, such as circuses, vegetarianism,
marine parks, etc.
Pacific Assistance Dogs (PADS) Open House, Burnaby, British Colombia
On Saturday, October 2, PADS held an 'Open House' at the PADS Training
Facility in Burnaby. This was a great opportunity for members of the public to
find out about PADS and what they do. Visitors were able to watch a demonstration of what a PADS dog does, meet clients, puppies in training, puppy-raisers, staff and the board and find out how
these wonderful dogs play a part in giving the gift of independence to people living with MS, MD,
spinal cord injuries, who have survived a stroke, are deaf or hard-of-hearing and more.
Costa Rica
A special mass was celebrated and an animal procession held at the San
Francisco Assisi Church in San Francisco de Dos Rios. This was followed by a
concert at the Teatro Semáforo in Calle de la Amargura, San Pedro, organised by
animal welfare group Unidad Especial de Protección y Rescate Animal.
Cyprus
Paphiakos and CCP (Cyprus Cat Protection) Animal Welfare of Paphos, Cyprus,
celebrated World Animal Day by providing
low-income families with a number of treatments
for their animals free of charge, including spaying/neutering
of cats and dogs, plus a number of
microchippings and vaccinations.
Greece
 As
we do every year, members and animal friends of the Argos Animal Welfare Society
of Thessaloniki met for our 8th Mixed Breed Dog Show. The event took place on
3rd October, on Thessaloniki's seafront, in front of the sculpture of Alexander
the Great and his beloved horse, Voukefalas. About 500 people came to our event;
some of them were only passing by and stopped to pet our beautiful hairy friends
and pick up information about our organization. The dogs played on the grass
under a warm sun while their human families were chatting with others. TV
stations and newspapers covered the event, which has become one of our most
famous events. It is also a very good opportunity to promote adoption, campaigns
and responsible pet ownership and to educate people about various animal issues.
Hungary
 On 3 October, the Fauna Society organised a World Animal Day march in Budapest, starting from St Stephan Basilica and culminating in a gathering in Heroes Square, where
Dr Miklos Persanyi, the Hungarian Minister for the Environment and Water Management, spoke on the importance of protecting animals.
The event was a combined celebration of World Animal Day, and a commemoration of
World Farm Animals Day (Mahatma Gandhi's birthday) to draw attention to issues
surrounding the welfare of farm animals. Other attractions included cartoons and face-painting for children, and the appearance of 'Bobby', a giant broiler chicken, to highlight Fauna's campaign on broiler chicken welfare.
Many animals joined in the day, including cats, dogs, ferrets, horses, guinea
pigs and an alpaca!
Ireland
 The Vegetarian Society of Ireland held its 11th annual fair on 3 October at
the St Andrew's Resource Centre in Dublin. Numerous animal welfare and animal
rights organisations attended, including Compassion in World Farming, Alliance
for Animal Rights, Hunt Saboteurs, Seal Sanctuary, Cats’ Aid and the Irish
Anti-Vivisection Society. A programme of talks covered a range of vegetarian-related topics, including
organic growing without animal products and factory farming. And, of course, a
wide range of delicious vegetarian and vegan food was available throughout the
day!
Lithuania
 In Lithuania, special St Francis Day medals were issued by the State Food and
Veterinary Service to individuals who had made outstanding contributions to
animal welfare in Lithuania during the year. This annual ceremony first began in
2002, and only three medals are issued each year. This year's winners were former LiSPA president and dean of Lithuania's veterinary academy
Albina Aniuliene, LiSPA vet Aivaras Paukste, and Edvardas Legeckas of the State Veterinary
Service (pictured). This
year's event was covered by national television and newspapers. As is
traditional in Lithuania, the award-winners were also given roses.
Nepal
ANPO 'Rock'n'Bark'
In Nepal Animal-Nepal (ANPO) was busy with some unusual fundraising. The
organisation gathered together some high profile musicians, both Nepali and
ex-pat, to produce a rock album entitled Rock'n'Bark, with all proceeds going to
animal welfare projects in the kingdom. Also, the cartoonist in the Nepali
Times, an ANPO member, dedicated his weekly cartoon to World Animal Day.
NSPCA World Animal Week
 The
National Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Nepal (NSPCA) celebrated a World Animal Week from 4
to 10 October. The week began with a celebration day, which included talks on
the work and aims of the NSPCA and how to tackle animal cruelty in Nepal, plus
performances of poetry and songs by students. This was followed by a press
conference. The rest of the week included an educational programme in Nepalese
schools about animal welfare. The week concluded with special clinics where
anti-rabies vaccination was available, together with check-ups, veterinary
treatment and information about caring for animals. 150 dogs and cats, plus one
monkey were brought to the clinic.
New Zealand
SPCAs across New Zealand held awareness events for World Animal Day. Numerous
educational establishments joined in. For example, the Christchurch Learning
Centre held a 'Pet Prowl' evening, where people could have their photo taken
with their pets, and find out about pet care, grooming, behavioural issues, etc.
Animal blessing services also took place across the country.
Romania
 Animed Arad celebrated WAD by paying a visit to one of the local schools, and
giving out information about spaying/neutering and animal adoptions –
and, of course, explaining the meaning of WAD. A few puppies and kittens
accompanied them, resulting in a new and loving human companion being found for
one teenager cat! Among the materials Animed Arad donated to the school were
some cool posters from Best Friends, Alley Cat Allies, RSPCA and WSPA, together
with other materials brought back from the CHAMP conference in Orlando, Florida
in August 2004. The visit lasted about three hours and everyone enjoyed the
event. It is hoped that the visit will lead to more people having their animals
neutered and maybe even adopt some of Animed Arad's rescued strays.
Russia
The Darwin Museum in Moscow hosted a day of special events for World Animal
Day. Activities included games, animal mask-making, a pet drawing contest and a
brief lecture on how to understand the language and gestures of animals.
Switzerland
The Inter-Community School in Zurich celebrated World Animal Day by inviting
children each to bring a soft toy pet to school with them. The toy animals were
each charged an admission fee of 1 Swiss Franc. The total amount raised was then
donated to a local animal shelter.
Syria
 SPANA/Syria celebrated World Animal Day 2004 on a grand scale, with both regional and
national newspapers containing features about the importance of animals in our
life. Postcards with the WAD logo of the day and some words about animals were
distributed to key people in Syria. A big Festival of Childhood, the Environment
and Animals took place, during which children were able to make close contact
with a range of animals, including donkeys, camels, rabbits, chicken, birds and
frogs, while a group of musicians played music with an environmental theme. Two
famous artists painted their own interpretations of the event, while another
focused on the children making animal masks. Syrian television covered the event
and many Syrian leaders participated.
Turkey
 The
Fethiye Friends of Animals Association celebrated World Animal Day by inviting a
party of schoolchildren to our Centre to paint pictures of animals on the wall
of our main dog kennels and brighten up a rather bland long wall with colour.
Together with their art teachers, 24 children arrived where they first had a
look around the Centre, spending time with the puppies and kittens. After lunch,
they set to work, and a few hours later they transformed the kennels into a work
of art! We are very happy with the result and we will invite them to paint some
more of our walls at future date. In the afternoon a parade through the town
took place, with children displaying banners encouraging love and respect for
animals, followed by recitals, music and dance at the new Culture Centre. We are
encouraged that these activities show the underlying affection that children
have for animals, which bodes well for the future.
United Kingdom
Blessing of the Animals, Chilworth Friary, Surrey
 This year the Franciscan
brothers of Chilworth Friary, near Guildford, held an animal blessing service,
which was attended by a variety of animals from the local parish, plus their
humans. Greyhound rescue organisation Greyhounds in Need attended, together with
a representative from Amigos de los Galgos in Madrid who, rather than bringing a
greyhound, brought a picture of the dogs in her care to be blessed. The blessing
took place outside, in the lovely grounds of the Friary, famous for having been
the inspiration of Albert Ketèlby's music 'In a Monastery Garden'. The service
comprised three simple hymns, followed by a procession of dogs who one by one
were blessed by the Brothers and given a token of blessed food and a little
gift. One of the Brothers spoke on the theme of being aware of our surroundings
and on loving and respecting those fellow creatures who share the earth
with us.
Donkey Sanctuary Memorial Service, Sidmouth, Devon
Report by Glennis Ward, a Donkey Sanctuary supporter
 I was on holiday in Somerset for a few days, primarily to visit the Donkey Sanctuary near to Sidmouth, for its annual Memorial Day Service, which was held this year on Saturday October 2nd. It is quite an emotional occasion, as we all come together to
pray for loved ones, whether they be human or animals, whose memorials are situated all around the grounds of the
Donkey Sanctuary. The service is conducted by a local vicar, and afterwards he
tours the grounds to bless the memorials. During the vicar's address in the large marquee, some of the donkeys who were present brayed their approval, or disapproval, of what was being
said!
(Image © The Donkey Sanctuary)
HULA Animal Rescue Animal Blessing Service, Apsley Guise, Milton Keynes
On Sunday 3 October HULA Animal Rescue held its annual Animal Blessing Service at
its centre at Apsley Guise, near Milton Keynes, for its supporters with their
pets, followed by a blessing of all the resident animals, as well as those
being given temporary shelter until new homes can be found. This year at very
short notice the Rev. Stephen Nuth, Vicar of Woburn, together with his family,
came along to officiate at the short service. Earlier in the afternoon a Fun
Dog Show had been held and despite the very cold, damp and windy weather the
afternoon was very well attended.
Information Stalls
 As always, there were plenty of information stalls in town centres up and
down the country. Swindon Animal Concern had a stall in the Swindon Centre, and
gave out balloons and leaflets and collected petition signatures. In Cheltenham,
Christina Wells and Christina Okonor distributed information about
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and Naturewatch, while Naturewatch supporter
Elizabeth Shaw held a stall in Kingston-upon-Thames.
Friends of Wildlife (FOW) had an information stall about its work in
Colchester Library. As well as information about the group, the stall had fact
sheets and leaflets on how to care for wildlife. There was also a good supply of
'Colour and Learn' sheets for children to have fun while finding out about
British native wildlife.
(Image © Friends of Wildlife)
Naturewatch Open Evening and Online Auction, Cheltenham
 Animal welfare organisation Naturewatch held a reception for supporters,
overseas partners and VIP visitors at their new premises in Cheltenham. Among
the VIP visitors were mother-and-daughter team wildlife artist Pollyanna
Pickering and photographer/writer Anna-Louise Pickering (pictured). Guests
were able to see displays about Naturewatch's various campaigning areas and try
out some home-made toiletries suggested in the Naturewatch Compassionate
Shopping Guide, while enjoying a buffet supper. As well as the campaign areas,
displays included a wall map showing where World Animal Day had been celebrated
over the years and a display about Naturewatch Foundation's annual online
celebrity auction, which raises valuable funds for animal welfare work in
Lithuania and the Ukraine.
School Visit, Essex
 Pupils at Edward Francis Infant School in Rayleigh, Essex celebrated World
Animal Day with a visit to the school by Jenni, a volunteer carer for injured
and orphaned hedgehogs (pictured), and one of the many hedgehogs
that she cares for throughout the year. She gave the children a
brief talk on how to protect hedgehogs and who to contact if they find any that
are sick or injured. The children loved seeing a real live hedgehog close up and
listened carefully to all that she had to say. To thank her for her visit, the
children donated bags of dried food to help her in her work with the hedgehogs.
In the afternoon the children made hedgehog masks in their classrooms. A super
day was had by all.
Tropical Wings Conservation Day, Essex
 Tropical Wings wildlife park in Essex held a Conservation Day for WAD, which
included an animal quiz for children, a display about WAD, presentations on
conservation in which visitors were able to meet one of the centre's barn owls,
and also on pet care, where children could meet some of Tropical Wings' small
animals. Tropical Wings has one of the UK's largest butterfly houses, and they
used this to highlight the WWF project to save the endangered Monarch
butterflies of Mexico. £50 was raised in donations from visitors for the WWF
project and the Tropical Wings mascot Mr Macawber (a giant cuddly macaw),
pictured here with one of the Animal Care team, was at hand to take charge of
the cheque.
USA
Annual Blessing of the Animals, Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit, Kirkland
WA
On October 10 there was a non-denominational animal blessing ceremony held on the back lawn of the
Lutheran church in Kirkland WA. All animals were welcome, but it was also
possible to bring an article representing them (pictures, collars, toys,
halters, etc.) to be blessed on behalf of absent animal friends. A special
commemorative certificate will be given to participants.
Fall Kitten Shower, Tazewell Animal Protection Society (TAPS), Normal IL
TAPS held their second annual fall kitten shower on Saturday, October 2, and Sunday, October 3, at the Petco store in
Normal IL. Petco had pawprint cutouts scattered throughout the store under items
needed by TAPS, so that shoppers could pick gifts, take them through the checkout line and to the donation barrel at the front of the store.
TAPS also had several beautiful cats and adorable kittens available for adoption.
Fall Yard Sale, Albuquerque Cat Action Team (ACAT), Albuquerque NM
ACAT held a yard sale on 2 October 2nd to raise monies for the ACAT spay/neuter and emergency medical programs.
Pet Blessing and Celebration, Phoenix AZ and Scottsdale AZ
 World Animal Day 2004 was celebrated in Arizona for the second year running with two events initiated
and coordinated by Kris Lecakes-Haley and Mitzi Lynton. The first event, a Pet
Blessing, Animal Expo and Adoption, was hosted and organized by Eileen Proctor,
owner of It’s a Ruff Life Dog Daycare in Phoenix. The blessings
were officiated by Rev. Michelle Medrano of New Vision Spiritual Growth Center
in Scottsdale and Rev. Michele Whittington of Creative Living Fellowship in
Phoenix. The Expo featured local artists, alternative medicine for animals
(including an animal chiropractor, animal synergist who specializes in emotional
and behavioral problems through the use of Bach Flower Essences, an animal
wellness communicator and animal massage therapist). The Adoption was a huge
success with many dogs and cats being adopted from local shelters and rescue
groups.
The second event, ‘An Evening of Enlightenment: Celebrating the Animals in Our
Lives’, held at the Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale, was sponsored by
Leslie Savage and Eileen Proctor and co-hosted by Rev. Michelle Medrano and Rev.
Michele Whittington. The featured speakers included Eileen Proctor, Cheryl
Naumann, President and CEO of the Arizona Humane Society, Kari Nienstedt,
founder of AZ Vegan.com, and Mitzi Lynton, owner of Dare2create.com, each
lovingly encouraged the audience to consider ways they could make the world more
humane and peaceful for all life. The event also featured singers and musicians
Annie Moscow, Larry Hartstein and Craig Haley, a special showing of the
critically acclaimed short movie The Spiritual Cockroach, a
candle-lighting ceremony of celebration and a photo memories slide show
featuring the companion animals of the respective communities.
Spirit of Kindness, MSPCA Boston MA
On Friday October 1, MSPCA Boston held an evening of wine tasting, great food and a silent auction
in Cambridge, MA. All proceeds went to the MSPCA Boston Animal Care and Adoption Center.
Westerly Animal Day, RI
 A group of students from Westerly, Rhode Island, known as the Westerly
Innovations Network (WIN), took the unusual step of approaching their Town
Council to ask them to promote October 4, World Animal Day, as Westerly Animal
Day, and to help create a day for events promoting the welfare of all animals.
The students devised their own logo for the day and produced a list of
suggestions of things for people to do on the day, such as school field trips to
animal shelters, undertaking fundraisers for shelters and finding out about
endangered species. The students' meeting with the Town Council is pictured
here.
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