The 100th anniversary of World Animal Day is being marked today under the theme "Save Animals, Save the Planet". The day is observed every year on 4 October to secure the rights of animals around the world. The Creator made the animal world alongside humans to keep the planet's natural balance. Many species are disappearing because of human causes as well as natural disasters, and protecting them to keep the planet healthy is now an urgent need.

The World Wildlife Fund said in a report that two-thirds of the world's wildlife has declined since 1970. In 100 years, 31 animal species have vanished from Bangladesh's territory, including 11 mammals, 19 birds and one reptile.

According to the latest 2015 count by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Bangladesh has more than 1,600 animal species, of which 390 are heading towards being endangered. The IUCN has placed these species on its red list, and has identified more than 50 species as critically endangered.

The rate of animal extinction in Bangladesh is alarmingly high. Deforestation and unplanned urbanisation are breaking up animal habitats and movement routes while causing food shortages. Pollution is rising in rivers, lakes and water bodies. Natural resources are overused for private or state interests, and criminals are illegally hunting and trafficking various species. Climate change and natural disasters are also reducing animal numbers and costing Bangladesh species. For such reasons, one or more animals disappear from the Earth every year.

Along with the government, non-government organisations have an immense responsibility to protect animals and their habitats. Drone and data-based monitoring, strict law enforcement, enough food for animals, breeding-friendly habitats and a safe environment for movement in the country's forests, lakes, riverside and coastal areas, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries could increase animal numbers. This would also protect the country's natural balance.

Saving animals means not only conserving them but keeping the planet healthy. If the planet survives, we humans can also live healthily for a long time. So being aware and acting humanely to protect animals and biodiversity is our moral duty.

The World Animal Day website says this year's theme is a reminder of the link between animal welfare and the health of the planet. A German writer and publisher named Henrik Zimmermen is said to have first launched the day in 1925 at the Sports Palace in Berlin, Germany. He had written about it in a magazine called "Mensch und Hund" (Man and Dog). The day was observed for the first time on 4 October 1929. At first it was marked by people in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia, but later, under a proposal raised at the International Animal Protection Congress in Florence, Italy, in 1931, 4 October was recognised as World Animal Day. It has since become a global event, and since 2003 a UK-based animal welfare charity has led and sponsored it.

The writer, Md Sohag Rasif, is a former student of the Department of Zoology, Jagannath University.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.