Australia
 As
ever, branches of the RSPCA across Australia were busy with a range of events.
For example, RSPCA Victoria held a fundraising gala dinner in Melbourne, the
Northern Territory branch held family fun days in both Alice Springs and
Berrimah, while RSPCA Queensland organized an animal blessing service at their
Brisbane shelter. Among the many other events held across Australia were an
awareness campaign organized by Vegetarian Action in Adelaide, a family fun day
at the Bendigo animal shelter in Victoria, an animal blessing service at
Warrnambool, Victoria, and an education day about Australian wildlife at
Australia Zoo, Queensland.
Revellers enjoying the RSPCA Victoria's fundraising gala
evening in Melbourne.
China
 Beijing Natural History Museum was the venue for an environment-themed
photographic exhibition entitled 'Care About our Animal Friends'. The exhibition
opened on World Animal Day and ran for six days, with hundreds of children and their parents joining
in. One of the highlights of the day was the opportunity for children to
experience at first-hand what it is like being a captive animal by being locked
in wooden cages!
Please do not feed the animals! Beijing children experience
what it feels like to be caged.
Colombia
 Corporación
RAYA (Red de Ayuda a los Animales) of Medellin organised a magnificent
vegetarian dinner for World Animal Day. Entertainment included music and mime
artists, plus displays of children's work. Billed as 'an evening of theatre,
music, art and animals', the event was well attended and was an enormous
success.
Preparing to enjoy a World Animal Day vegetarian feast in
Medellin.
Egypt
 The Egyptian Society of Animal Friends held an Awareness Day
at the Community Service Association in Cairo,
supported by organizations, such as the Brooke Hospital for Animals, the Society
for the Protection of Animal Rights in Egypt (SPARE), the Society for the
Protection and Welfare of Donkeys and Mules in Egypt, and EMRO (the
Egyptian Mau Rescue Organization). Private organizations, such as the Cat Flat
Sanctuary, Petpals Dog Grooming, and East Wend Boarding Kennels, also
participated. Children and adults alike learned about
animal welfare and a wide range of information was on display. Demonstrations on
dog grooming, dog training, donkey grooming and hoofcare were also given. Other
attractions included a grand draw, tombola and live music. The Egyptian
Society of Animal Friends also joined in the Humane Society International's
Animal Fighting Campaign to highlight the cruelties involved in activities such
as dog fighting and cock fighting.
Grenada
 The Grenada SPCA Animal Shelter had a great turnout at their 'Paws in the
Park' World Animal Day Celebration. Volunteers from Marryshow
Community College sang the national anthem and Father Charles blessed the
shelter animals. Pedigree Dog Food donated prizes for the fun pet contests
and the home made obstacle course was the favorite event. St George's University
School of Veterinary Medicine donated the tent and handed out information about
the College. Grenada SPCA is delighted to have collected another 100 signatures
urging the Grenada Government to enforce the Animal Control Act of 2000.
Up and over - Grenada SPCA supporters help a contestant round
the dog agility course.
Guam
 Guam Animals in Need (GAIN) had a successful World Animal Day, with Father
George Maddock of Sinajana Guam visiting the shelter to bless the animals. Local
legislators, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and other VIP guests were also
invited to attend. The animals enjoyed the event as much as the humans. The day
was also used to highlight the importance of neutering Guam's 'boonie' stray
dogs.
Father George blesses one of the GAIN shelter residents.
India
Chennai SPCA WAD Activities
The Animal Welfare Board of India has been promoting World Animal Day since
1968, and this year was no exception. Numerous animal welfare groups and
Governmental offices organised events, but Chennai SPCA was particularly busy
and arranged drawing competitions, dog shows, quizzes, seminars and radio and
television programmes to highlight animal welfare issues. AWBI Secretary Dr R
Balasubramanian reported that the Day was a great success and he hoped that it
would put India on the World Animal Day world map.
Orissa Anti-Rabies Vaccination Drive
In Bhubaneswar in Orissa, the Orissa Kennel Club and Bhubaneswar Rotary Club organised an anti-rabies
vaccination drive and health check for pets on 4 October. The event was attended
by Commerce and Transport Minister Jayanarayan Mishra.
Israel
Spay Israel held a spay clinic, to bring attention to the fact that animal
over-population kills more animals than all the diseases combined. The spay day
event was a success, with some 30 cats and dogs being neutered in the clinic in
a record six hours. Spay Israel points out that high volume spaying and
neutering is not a matter of speed but efficiency. They worked well together
with a wonderful team of vets, technicians and volunteers. Spay Israel
particularly want to thank Esther Mechler (Spay USA), Mike Philip (Urban Cat
League), Virgil Barstad (Best Friends Animal Society) and The Marchig Animal
Welfare Trust for their support. Thanks are also due to Rechovot RSPCA for
providing the space in which to hold the clinics.
Nepal
Animal Nepal Pet Shop and Cafe
Animal Nepal celebrated World Animal Day with the opening of its pet shop and
cafe, designed to raise funds and promote animal welfare and responsible pet
ownership. The Jhamsikhel-based pet shop is an outlet for imported pet care
products as well as a collection of locally produced items such as dog beds and
drinking bowls. The production of pet items, including collars, leashes,
cushions, dog houses, dog biscuits, etc, is carried out by disadvantaged people,
and the establishment of micro-industries by aspiring business people is
encouraged. Sales profits go to animal welfare projects, thus encouraging
initiatives that directly address animal cruelty in the country. Animal Nepal
further promotes a dog tagging system that enables tracing of lost pets. The
metal tags contain the name of the pet and phone number of the owner. Joined
with the pet shop is Animal Nepal Café, an ideal meeting point for animal
lovers and their pets.
NSPCAN Educational Event
 There was plenty going on in Nepal this World Animal Day. NSPCA Nepal
organized a major educational event, which was widely covered by the media,
including Kantipur Television, Channel Nepal, Image Channel, Nepal Radio, and
many others. Events took place throughout the week in 20 different schools, the
highlight being 4 October itself, with children's performances of song, folk
dance and poetry about animals. Dr Shree Ram Adhikari, Secretary General of
NSPCAN, made a speech about animal cruelty, the main point being as follows:
'All of us have within ourselves the ability to relate to other living things
with compassion. We can choose to be kind instead of cruel. We can choose to be
non-violent. And we can make cruelty-free choices about what we eat, wear, do
and buy that will make a positive impact not only on animals but on people, the
environment and our own health too.'
Nigeria
 The Society for the Welfare of Animals protection (SWAP) had a very lively
World Animal Day at its information stand at the main gate of the University of
Benin. As well as distributing information about animal welfare and advice on
petcare, attractions included dance performances. Numerous visitors took away
membership forms with them. An unexpected treat came in the shape of a group of
rappers, who had been attending an audition in the University's hall, who
visited the stand an performed a rap about animals and World Animal Day! The
event was followed later in the week by a free clinic at Isiohor Community,
where some 194 animals received veterinary care.
Philippines
 The Philippines Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) had a busy time around World
Animal Day, with animal blessing services in Manila, San Juan, Quezon, and many
other locations. PAWS was also actively involved in the Humane Society
International's campaign against animal fighting, with spokesperson Ramona
Consunji giving several television and radio interviews about horse-fighting and
dog-fighting. Anna Hashim-Cabrera of PAWS also spoke on radio and television
about World Animal Day and animal welfare. On a lighter note, PAWS also held a
fund-raising fun event called 'Furry Tales' – a pet fashion show.
All creatures great and small, from dogs to tortoises,
received WAD blessings in the Philippines.
Romania
APAR Office Launch
 Animal welfare organization APAR (Alianta Pentru Protectia Animalelor din
Romania) celebrated World Animal Day in style with the official launch of its
new offices in Bucharest. The event was attended by journalists, officials from
the Ministries of the Environment and of Agriculture, and staff from the Veterinary
Faculty of the University.
Charity Fair
 Over the weekend of October 1 and 2, Animed Arad and APAR (Alianta Pentru Protectia Animalelor din
Romania) joined forces to attend a
charity fair at the Village Museum in Timisoara, where their combined stall won first
prize. Together the groups rehomed four puppies and one kitten. The two groups
repeated the experience the following weekend, when they rehomed three puppies
and three kittens, as well as raising funds to further their work.
School Visit, Arad
 Arad-based welfare group Animed Arad celebrated World Animal Day by holding
an educational event at a local school. Children were able to meet rescued
puppies and kittens and learn about caring for animals. Animed Arad provided a
large amount of educational materials and Animed Arad staff and teachers were
able to put together an eye-catching and informative display for the children,
including the children's own work. Animed Arad also raised valuable funds for
its work during the visit.
Serbia & Montenegro
'Friend for free! Friend forever!' Pancevo
Ljubimci Society for the Protection of Animals held an information stall in
the main square of Pancevo on World Animal Day to highlight various animal
welfare issues, including rehoming abandoned puppies. The day was also used to
launch a new campaign entitled 'Friend for free! Friend forever!', highlighting
the importance of the connections between animals and humans – one of the
fundamental principles of World Animal Day! The Society also joined in with the
HSI's international campaign against animal fighting.
Orca's Events in Belgrade
 Orca undertook a number of events around World Animal Day. On 4 October, they held an information stand in the city centre
with a petition for defining the rights of animals in the
constitution of Serbia and Montenegro. They also rehomed the
puppies of Aska, a female pit bull who had been abandoned a few weeks earlier,
and took the opportunity to explain responsible pet ownership.
Two days later, Orca organised a 'fairy show' for children,
using the magic of the fairy world to promote concepts of animal welfare. Orca
also organised a photo exhibition in Belgrade City Hall, entitled 'Life of
Strays and Domestic Animals' and a schools competition on the subject
of 'How would I protect the animals?' - all in all, a very busy week for Orca!
Do you believe in fairies? Orca uses a touch of magic to
explain animal welfare to some enchanted children.
Singapore
The
animal welfare groups of Singapore always celebrate World Animal Day, and many
schools also like to get involved. This year a group of 15-year-old school
students persuaded their school to allow them to hold a special event, which
they called Safari@PL. Animal welfare group
Noah's Ark Companion Animal Rescue and Education Society helped them organize
the event, which included dog races, rabbit races, talks on pet care and dog
grooming, fund-raising stalls for various animal shelters, and the chance for
students to bring their animals in to school for the day. Dogs, cats, guinea
pigs, rabbits, hamsters, chinchillas and terrapins all joined in the fun!
Spain
 Fundación Altarriba of Barcelona supported the Humane Society International's Animal Fighting Campaign for World Animal Day,
among many other activities. These included spokesperson Nuria Querol being
interviewed by Catalunya Radio for a programme called 'Una Nit a la Terra' (A
Night on Earth), which proved so popular that Nuria has been invited to be a
regular guest to talk about animal welfare issues! The group was also involved
in the launch of a new television documentary series on animal protection called
'Buscant una Llar' (Looking for a Home), which will address such issues as the
fur trade and animal experiments. Fundación Altarriba also took part in a day
of protest against the slaughter of dolphins, which included handing in a
petition to the Japanese consul and writing to the Director of Barcelona Zoo -
the Zoo Director has subsequently responded, condemning the trade and promising
that the zoo would never be involved in any way.
Syria
 SPANA held a big WAD event at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in
Al Baath University in Hama to underline the importance of animal welfare and
the need to protect animals from damaging environmental factors, such as
contamination from the spraying of insecticides and over-hunting. The day began
with children visiting the environmental education centre of Dar Al Hanan in
Hama where they were able to meet a variety of animals. In the afternoon, there
was a ceremony to launch the new SPANA-Syria website www.spana-syria.org.
Various dignitaries attended the event, and the day culminated in the
presentation of two paintings from WAD 2004 to
Her Excellency Mrs Asma Al Asad, first lady of Syria, who will have them
exhibited at the first museum for children in Syria.
Her Excellency Mrs Asma Al Asad is presented with a painting
commemorating WAD 2004.
Turkey
 The Fethiye Friends of Animals Association celebrated World Animal Day by
inviting over 300 children from four different schools to visit their Centre,
where they enjoy sandwiches, sweets and drinks, as well as meeting the animals
and finding out about the Centre's work. The General Director of National Parks
also visited Fethiye to present the Association's President, Perihan Agnelli,
with a certificate to acknowledge her work animal welfare, and the Regional
Mayor acknowledged the work of the Society throughout Turkey.
Fethiye Association President Perihan Agnelli with guests and residents.
Ukraine
 Kiev's Society for the Protection of Animals SOS celebrated World Animal Day
with the official opening of its new heated cattery and puppy accommodation. The
event was widely covered by the Ukraine media and VIP guests included Ukraine's
Minister of Culture Igor Likhovy, Deputy Minister Igor Prystavskyi,
Parliamentary Deputy Boris Bespalie and Princess Elisabeth de Cröy. The
Government Ministers were particularly receptive to the importance of
celebrating World Animal Day. Journalists
and guests alike enjoyed meeting the animals, and the cats especially enjoyed
all the media attention!
A Ukrainian TV cameraman has to choose between his camera and
his new best friend.
United Kingdom
Earthwatch Balloon Debate: Back to Nature – Eradicating Invasive Species
from the UK
Earthwatch held a balloon debate about
introduced species at the Royal Geographic Society in London. This debate involved five prominent conservationists representing five different
non-native species (the American mink, the muntjac deer, rhododendron
ponticum,
the ruddy duck and the zebra mussel) and arguing the case for their eradication.
A large and enthusiastic audience of more than
500 people voted to decide which was the most destructive of all, which proved to be the zebra mussel,
a freshwater mussel introduced to the UK in the early nineteenth century that
has slowly brought about the decline of the native freshwater mussel.
As a follow-up, Earthwatch is organizing a school student debate on Local
Biodiversity: Wild Species and Wild Spaces on Friday 24th March from
1.00pm-3.00pm, at Central Hall, University of York. Admission is free to the
general public, but by ticket only, with the audience voting for the winner of
an Earthwatch conservation grant. For further details, contact events@earthwatch.org.uk.
Information Stalls and Fund-raisers
Numerous organisations and individuals held information stalls and other
small-scale events in their local
town centres on and around World Animal Day.
- Many people undertook small fund-raising events for favourite animal
charities or campaigning organisations. Here's a description of a
coffee-morning sent in by Beverlea Wills of London: 'We had a very enjoyable
and worthwhile coffee morning in my flat. I compiled a quiz, partly animal
questions, partly general knowledge, including 'Which relative of ours has
been photographed doing the backstroke?' (Answer: a baboon in Gombe National
Park) and 'What three things do Pooh Bear and Rupert Brooke have in common?'
(Answer: stopped clocks, a love of honey and poetry). It's invaluable to
have such occasions for sharing animal news, both with folk who are already
well-informed and those who are genuinely unaware of abuse.'
- Cats Protection held a number of events, including a coffee morning and
bric-a-brac stall in Eskdale and a bazaar and jumble sale in Croydon.
- Greyhound Compassion held an
Awareness Day/Flag Day in Bromsgrove Town Centre.
- Supporters of the RSPCA and
Naturewatch held a stall in March, Cambridgeshire, where they raised funds by
selling toys, bric-a-brac, cakes and biscuits, and also distributed information literature.
An added attraction was a competition to name a soft toy border collie dog.
- Hillside Animal Sanctuary supporters held information stalls in Southwold
and Lowestoft to heighten awareness of factory farming issues.
The stall raised just over UK£300 for Hillside's work in investigating the
cruelties involved in factory farming.
- Supporters of Sussex Pet Rescue and Cat Welfare Sussex organised a street
collection in West Hove.
Jane Mason and Mike Northcott blow up their WAD balloons at
the Hillside Animal Sanctuary stall in Lowestoft.
Information stalls were also held in Wellingborough, Doncaster, Belfast,
Comber, Kingston-upon-Thames, Swindon and Bromley.
Naturewatch Compassionate Shopping Guide Launch
 Animal welfare campaigning organisation Naturewatch held the launch of the
10th edition of its Compassionate Shopping Guide at the Queen's Hotel,
Cheltenham. The event was attended by the press, representatives of various
companies endorsed in the Guide, including Norfolk Lavender, the Co-op, King of
Shaves, Neal's Yard, Green People, Somerfield, Liz Earle Skincare, Moor Spa
International and Lavera, plus two giant beagles! Presentations on the importance of choosing
cruelty-free when shopping were made by top hair stylist Daniel Field, and
representatives from the Co-op, King of Shaves and Green People.
 Naturewatch Director John Ruane read out a message from the Compassionate Shopping Guide's cover
girl, Twiggy: 'I send you all my warmest wishes on this day,
World Animal Day, where throughout the world people are celebrating and
acknowledging the joy that animals bring into our lives. Sadly, as you will be all aware, many animals still suffer at the hands
of Man. Animal welfare societies, both internationally and locally are striving to stop cruelty to animals and one
way we can all help is to adopt a "cruelty free" lifestyle. The latest edition of the Naturewatch Compassionate Shopping Guide
explains how you can choose everyday products, which are made without any animal
suffering. I am pleased to endorse the Guide and wish it every success.'
Top: Naturewatch Director John Ruane and friends
consult the Shopping Guide. Bottom: Guide Editor Dawn Lewis shows off her
handiwork. |
