Media Release Media Release Media Release

3 October, 2008

WORLD ANIMAL DAY: REMEMBERING THE ANIMALS

Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania (AACT) will be celebrating World Animal Day on Saturday the 4th of October on Parliament Lawns, Hobart, from 11am. Joining AACT will be 11-week-old ‘Peggy’ the piglet.

AACT Coordinator, Julie Williamson states:

‘World Animal Day is an acknowledgement of 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’.

The date October 4th was chosen as World Animal Day as it is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. 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.

Julie Williamson concluding:

World Animal Day is an opportunity for animal welfare groups to educate people about the intelligence of animals and also raise awareness of the plight of animals born and raised in intensive factory farming industries.

For more information: AACT Coordianator, Julie Williamson: 0400 153 346