Celebrate World Animal Day
Today is World Animal Day, founded by ecologists in 1931 to be celebrated on October 4, the traditional Feast Day of St. Francis, a non-denominational day to encourage the recognition of all the animals with whom we share our lives on this planet.
Of course, we adore our animal companions, those who share our homes and our lives and with whom we share that bond of unconditional love animals give. But these creatures are but a few of the thousands of species of animals who inhabit the Earth along with us, who have their day to day lives the same as we do even though they often never interact with us. Each species has its part in the ever-widening circles of ecosystems, from your back yard to your watershed, from your region to your continent.
Events in recognition of this day vary widely from spay and neuter events to letter-writing campaigns about animals used in research to clean-up events to provide animals with a habitat where they can live and thrive.
One thing anyone can do today is simply to go outdoors somewhere, your backyard, a park or simply a wooded ravine behind your house, and notice the animals who live there. You may need to keep still and quiet for a while, something we humans rarely have the opportunity to do, but in time you will hear rustlings in the leaves and twitterings in the branches. Follow the sounds and you’ll find an incredible diversity of mammals, birds, amphibians and other creatures who have been sharing your space all along. Watch the birds in the trees and listen to their songs. You don’t need to do anything else—in fact, don’t do anything else, don’t look them up on your iPhone, don’t consider their role in the ecosystem, don’t get your camera, just quietly recognize their existence and realize a part of the world you may not have known was there, and enjoy it.
After you are done with that you can do a number of things such as following the initiative to find out more about the animals you noticed, learn more about the species that inhabit your area and consider providing a bit of habitat for them, find a local organization that is conserving habitat for native species, or join in one of today’s activities listed on the website linked above.
I created the illustration I’ve included in this post for the Allegheny Land Trust, one of my long-time customers for design and commercial art, depicting the gratitude of the major species whose habitat was forever protected by ALT’s conservation of Wingfield Pines in Upper St. Clair, just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Not only did it ensure a viable home for a number of imperiled species, it also provided a buffer in a residential area for wildlife to live among humans as well as preserving a flood plain along Chartiers Creek, allowing the creek to overflow during flooding in an area where the wildlife can tolerate it instead of in an area where people and businesses exist, a good thing for everyone concerned.
So get out there and get to know the other populations with whom you share the Earth. You may be surprised how much is happening!
All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.
