World Animal Day 2022: 5 ways to celebrate the occasion
What's the story
It is time for us animal lovers to unite and shower some love on our furry friends as October 4 marks World Animal Day!
This day is not just for domesticated animals but also for wild fauna, endangered species, and those on the radar of extinction due to lack of protection.
Today, let's show some care and celebrate with these five activities.
Be their world
Adopt, don't shop
Getting home a pet is fun but have you ever adopted one and become their entire world?
When you shop for pets, you encourage unethical breeding culture.
However, when you adopt, you save a life that has been abandoned or abused.
So, this World Animal Day, if you wish to add a new member to your family, adopt one and discourage the illegal breeding culture.
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The tragic and gruesome reality of puppy mills
Animal Activist Sarah Srinivasan shares, "Female dogs are forcefully made to mate with male dogs and give birth. They are strapped onto the stand and forced. Once she reaches a stage wherein she can't produce anymore, she's either euthanized or quietly abandoned."
Safeguard them
Get them jabbed
We can't stress enough the importance of vaccination for animals.
There are innumerable stray dogs, cats, and other animals in India that suffer from various chronic and fatal diseases.
On the occasion of World Animal Day, dog feeders, veterinarians, and other citizens in Delhi are conducting a vaccination drive until October 9.
They will cover different areas in the city and Noida.
Let them live
Sterilize some in extreme cases
Srinivasan defines sterilization as "the process of removing the reproductive organs from animals to control their population."
Kerala government is adamant about killing thousands of rabid stray dogs for the spike in cases and deaths owing to rabies.
However, the less inhuman way is to instead conduct sterilization to control their population.
Try and educate more people about this ethical process.
Be mindful about them
Discard waste properly
Disposing of waste outside homes, on the streets, and in parks and water bodies is pretty common in India.
"Not only does plastic and metal take years to decompose, it can be a great threat to animals. There have been numerous cases wherein they choked on plastic or got stuck in bottles/utensils while drinking water," says Srinivasan.
Let's pledge to discard waste ethically.
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Waste discarding: A slow and painful death for animals
"Cows and dogs accidentally consume plastic bags which get stuck in their intestines and eventually kill them. They die of hunger and thirst because nothing they eat or drink reaches their intestinal tracks because of the blockage caused by the consumed plastic," shares Srinivasan.
Give them their habitat
Stop encroachment on forest land
A report published in August 2022 revealed that about 7,40,973 hectares of forest land has been encroached upon in 37 states.
"People making farmhouses in the Aravalli Range is posing a major threat to flora and fauna," shares Srinivasan.
The garbage mountains where dogs, cows, hawks, and other birds wander are dangerous. "Rubbish landfills are a threat to wildlife and the environment," adds Srinivasan.