Each year on Oct. 4, we celebrate World Animal Day! That's a lot of animals to celebrate, and I bet you are as hard pressed as everyone else to name just a few favorites. Even if you have your favorites, the moment someone names theirs, you immediately think: Oh yeah, I love them too! Animal lovers love all animals.
We get to celebrate every animal from mice to elephants, according to World Animal Day U.K., and they are correct.
And of course, it is no coincidence that World Animal Day falls on Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. Pope Francis, who took his name from St. Francis, announced that "all creatures will share in eternal life," as previously reported by HNGN.
World Animal Day dates back to 1931, when a group of masterful ecologists wanted to raise awareness to the plight of endangered animals, All Creatures noted.
So let us celebrate them, all of them, each one we encounter today. And since October is such a busy animal-celebrating month, we will hit on a few, which also are favorites.
October is Squirrel Awareness Month! Just like those little rascals the raccoons, squirrels are often thought of as pests, but their benefits to the environment are outstanding. They are foragers and love to bury things, which in turn sprout into new life. We can thank squirrels for plopping a pecan in any piece of dirt they can find to hide until later, only to forget it, and it becomes a new pecan tree!
Bat Appreciation Month is in October, too, and we hope you are as hooked as we are at Facebook's Batzilla the Bat and Bat World Sanctuary. See this sweet video, and you will understand. Bats are misunderstood. They are also a huge contributor to the ecosystem. The amount of pesky mosquitoes they dine on, plus their big pollinating efforts, have them contributing throughout the night as we sleep peacefully. Check out the video of these orphaned little bats, what cuties.
And last, but not least, October is Feral Hog Month. They are funny, funny creatures that most of us don't see. While this seems to be an anti-animal month for the hogs, us true animal lovers can send some love and positive thoughts for feral hogs, one of life's creatures. What better time to celebrate them than World Animal Day?
Choose your favorite animal and re-post this article with a picture of your favorite on social media today. Let's give all animals some love; it's their special day, after all.
