This year, Animals Taiwan, along with other organizations, groups, animal shelters, places of worship, schools, clubs and individuals throughout the world, will be holding a World Animal Day event. The event will be held on Sunday, October 4th, 1:00 p.m. ~ 7:00 p.m., at the Taipei City Hall Plaza, which is located in front of Taipei City Hall on Shi Fu Road. The theme of this year’s event is Adoption Saves! Abandonment Kills! This event will feature a 1 kilometer dog walk-a-thon, an opening ceremony with several distinguished guests, entertainment, a carnival featuring 60 merchandise, food and drink booths, a coloring contest for kids and an evening charity show with performances and appearances by celebrities such as Ivy Hsu, Evonne Hsu, Fan Yi-Chen and many more.
Pre-registration is required for those interested in participating in the dog walk-a-thon. Pre-registration begins on September 4 at 12:00 a.m. for group registrations and September 14 at 12:00a.m. for individual registrations. Please go to liza@animalstaiwan.org. Check-in begins at 1:30p.m. and the walk-a-thon begins at 2:30p.m. on the day of the event.
Ambassadors for this year’s event are Taipei City Councilwoman Wu Si-Yao, Janet Hsieh, host of Discovery Channel’s Taiwan Fun, singer, actress and TV hostess Ivy Hsu and proprietor of Bai Win Antiques Faye Angevine.
World Animal Day was started in 1931 at a convention of ecologists in Florence as a way of highlighting the plight of endangered species. Since then it has grown to encompass all kinds of animal life and is widely celebrated in countries throughout the world. October 4 was chosen as World Animal Day as it is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. It is intended as a day of celebration for anyone in the world who cares about animals.
The mission of World Animal Day is to 1) to celebrate animal life in all its forms, 2) to celebrate humankind’s relationship with the animal kingdom and 3) to acknowledge the diverse roles that animals play in our lives – from being our companions, supporting and helping us, to bringing a sense of wonder into our lives.
So join us on this special day to commemorate our love and respect for animals and to highlight the importance of animals in our world. For more information on Animals Taiwan World Animal Day 2009 event, visit www.animalstaiwan.org, or call the Animals Taiwan rescue center at (02)2833-8820.
Please help us spread the word about the World Animal Day event to your friends, family and colleagues. We look forward to celebrating the special day with you!