GET AN IDEA
Wherever you live in the world, animals are at risk of neglect, cruelty and exploitation. From dogs used for science to donkeys burdened with heavy loads to carry and marine animals being tangled in discarded plastic. Animals can’t speak up for themselves, but you can. World Animal Day is the chance to be their voice.
You don’t have to be part of a large organisation to get involved, ask around and perhaps family and friends will want to get involved too. There will always be a cause worth raising awareness for. Here is a closer look at some of these issues, followed by plenty of ideas to get you started.
FIND INSPIRATION
Farmed and working animals face issues like fur farming, selective breeding, and mutilations such as tail docking, teeth clipping and beak trimming, alongside neglect, poor nutrition, cruelty, overworking, and long-distance live transport.
Wild animals are threatened by hunting, the wildlife trade, and invasive species introduced by humans, as well as pressures like habitat loss, drought, bush fires, and human-wildlife conflict.
Marine animals face their own set of dangers, from plastic pollution and overfishing to bycatch, oil spills, and ocean mining.
GET CREATIVE
Busk for cash donations (bonus points for animal-related tunes) or lend your art skills to a rescue shelter with quick portraits of newly adopted animals. Fancy something cosier? Knit dog coats or blankets for a shelter or organise a group card-decorating session to sell at a local café or online. Host a karaoke night, run a paid tutorial series (yoga, cookery, or art, whatever your friends are good at), or build a mini wildlife habitat in your garden for insects and small animals.
GET ACTIVE
Litter is a huge threat to animals worldwide, so a litter pick with before-and-after photos can make a real impact. Prefer to dance? Host a sponsored dance marathon, funds go to the most stamina, not the best moves. Or keep it simple: walk dogs for friends and neighbours, wash cars, perhaps mow lawns. Workplaces could go all-in with a mini-Olympics, or you could take on a 50km run or walk challenge over the month, tracked on Strava.
MORE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
Spend time in a dog kennel at a local shelter or challenge a local personality to do it for charity. Run a bake sale (try a vegan cake mix with cola or cream soda), host an information stall, or hold a coffee morning, garage sale or car boot sale in aid of animals. Feeling ambitious? Auction donated prizes online, livestream a gaming marathon, or host a pub quiz with an animal-themed round.
Every idea here, big or small, helps give animals a voice. Ready to plan yours? Get organised next.
