2024 Calendar - national days, world days, awareness days, events - all for animals
PETA: Is This the End of Spain’s Barbaric ‘Fire Bull’ Festival?
PETA reports that after a successful appeal filed by Spanish animal rights party PACMA in 2023,
the Toro Júbilo has been deemed illegal, and the 2024 event suspended. Well done to PACMA
PLease join PETA in putting pressure on the Spanish authorities to stop this festival for good.
| There are events and things to do to help animals and support the efforts of animal charities - here's the 2024 Calendar. Please take a look at them and see how you can help. We're adding new events all the time. TBC means that the date is To Be Confirmed. |
| 23-1 | National Tree Week National Tree Week is a great chance for communities to do something positive for their local treescape, and for people to get their hands dirty and plant some trees. Find out more |
| DECEMBER 2024 | |
| Buy Christmas cards Wildlife Conservation Christmas Cards and Horse & donkey charity Christmas cards or why not send an e-card? Don't forget to save the stamps on envelope | |
| 3 | Giving Tuesday This is a chance to give to charities all over the world. |
| 3 - 10 | Big Give Christmas Challenge 2024 Donations to participating charities can be doubled. One donation, twice the impact. Lots of animal charities and conservation/environmental charities participate so this is a good chance to make donations go much further. |
| 4 | International Cheetah Day The Cheetah Conservation Fund has ideas of a number of ways you can help the cheetah and help celebrate cheetahs and raise awareness. Click here for more information |
| 9 | Review firework rules to protect animals from injury and distress Exciting news! At 4.30pm on 9th December two petitions sponsored by The Firework Campaign will be debated in Westminster Hall, Parliament. You can watch this online and please contact your MP beforehand and ask them to give their support. Find out more. |
| 9 | International Day for Veterinary Medicine Vets play an important role in communities worldwide to ensure the health of animals, humans and the environment. |
| 11 | International Mountain Day A day to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build partnerships that will bring positive change to the world’s mountains and highlands. Check out the Snow Leopard Trust who help snow leopards who live high in the mountains of Central Asia. #MoutainsMatte |
| JANUARY 2025 | |
| 1-31 | Veganuary Veganuary encourages people to move to a plant-based diet to protect the environment, prevent animal suffering and improve our health during the month of January and beyond as well! Find out more |
| 7 Jan - 14 Feb | Big Schools Birdwatch - RSPB Get kids involved in nature watching at school and inspire the nature lovers of the future, and get them outside! Find out more here |
| 21 | National [Red] Squirrel Appreciation Day This is a good chance to raise awareness of the charities working to help red squirrels, including the Red Squirrel Survival Trust and the Wildlife Trusts and the UK Squirrel Accord, a UK-wide partnership of 41 conservation and forestry organisations, Government agencies and companies, with links to voluntary red squirrel conservation groups. |
| 24-26 | Big Garden Birdwatch - RSPB Spend an hour watching and counting the birds in your garden or local green space & submit your findings to the RSPB. It helps the RSPB work out which species are doing well and which species need our help. Even if you don't see any birds, the RSPB need to know - it all helps. Find out more |
| 31 | International Zebra Day A chance to raise awareness of zebra and zebra conservation. Find out more |
| FEBRUARY 2025 | |
| Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month Every year, thousands of rabbits end up in rescue - and many have been set lose, or boxed and abandoned, or handed over to animal welfare shelters. Please adopt a rabbit rather than buy! Rabbits need to be in pairs - they need the company. Take a look at the Rabbit Awareness Action Group | |
| 1st week - 30 April TBC | National Green Week The week aims to help create a sustainable future through education. There are lots of resources for schools and you can get as involved as you like! Pick your week to do your Green Week. |
| 2 | World Wetlands Day Find out why wetlands matter and spread the word! Did you know that 40% of all species live or breed in wetlands? Visit the website to find out more #ActForWetlands Join #GenerationRestoration #ForWetlands |
| 14-21 | National Nestbox Week Put up a nest box in your local area or garden to help increase the number of suitable nesting spaces for birds. It was established and developed by the British Trust for Ornithology. |
| 15 | National Hippo Day I couldn't find a site dedicated to National Hippo Day but take a look at the Turgwe Hippo Trust who save hippos in Zimbabwe. More info |
| c16-19 | Great Backyard Bird Count People of all ages around the world spend their weekend counting, learning about, and celebrating birds. |
| 16 | World Pangolin Day A day to raise awareness about pangolins and their plight. #worldpangolinday. You could also head over to our Pangolin Corner to see how you can help #worldpangolinday |
| 18 | World Whale Day The day aims to boost understanding of whales. Go to Whale and Dolphin Conservation to see how you can help these beautiful animals. |
| 27 | International Polar Bear Day Every year, this global event draws attention to the challenges polar bears face in a warming Arctic—and how we each can help. |
| 27 | World Spay Day The day gives shelter and rescue organizations the chance to highlight their spay/neuter programs and win more community support in the form of donors, volunteers and clients. There's a list of charities who neuter here |
| MARCH 2025 | |
| Be a bumbleebee recorder with BeeWalk! The Bumblebee Conservation Trust says March is a good time to start spotting bumblebees - please get involved and see how you can help. | |
| Seagrass Awargrass Day on 1 March kicks the month off to raise awareness of the importance of healthy seagrass meadows. Fieness MonthWorld Seand out more here from Project Seagrass. | |
| 3 | World Wildlife Day Celebrate the beauty and variety of the millions of plants and animals that we share our planet. Find out more here |
| 14 | International Day of Action for Rivers International Rivers protects rivers and defends the rights of communities that depend on them. They also help to protect fresh water ecosystems and biodiversity. Find out more #DayofActionforRivers |
| 15 | International Day of Action Against the Canadian Seal Hunt This day is dedicated to protesting the hundreds of thousands of seals who will be killed each year for their fur. In Defense of Animals is asking us all to urge Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to stop this massacre once and for all! Find out more and sign here. |
| 15-31 tbc | The Great British Spring Clean Visit the website to take a look at how we can all Keep Britain Tidy |
| 16 | Panda Day A day to celebrate the beautiful panda and to find out all about them and what's being done to help them. Head over to Pandas International. |
| 16 tbc | Digital Cleanup Day Did you know about digital pollution? This is a great opportunity to get rid of old stuff you don't need on your computer, tablet, smartphone and emails and help the planet! Find out more here |
| 18 tbc | Global Recycling Day Recycling helps protect our natural resources. It's a chance to tell world leaders that we all need to reunite to waste less and for each of us to look at how much we waste and to do something about it. |
| 18 | Manatee Appreciation Day Held on the third Wednesday of March, this is a day dedicated to learning about, appreciating, and helping these gentle giants. Visit Save the Manatees to find out more about them |
| 20 | World Sparrow Day This is a chance to see what we can to protect them, as well. Find out more here. |
| 20 tbc | Global Rewilding Day The loss of wildlands and seas is the number one driver of mass extinction. Restoring wild nature expands the habitat of many, many species. Find out more here. |
| 21 | World Planting Day Get planting and make our urban areas green again or make them greener than they are now! It isn't an RHS event but they have lots of ways you can get planting, growing, sewing etc - find out more |
| 21 | International Day of Forests We need to love our forests and take more care of them! This is a UN day; make it your mission to find out more about forests and why they are so important! More info |
| 22 | World Water Day What does water mean to you? How can we protect it? The 2024 theme is "Water for peace". Find out more |
| c 23 | Earth Hour People from 190 countries took part last year. Send a strong message to earth's leaders that you demand urgent action to protect nature and our planet. Why not spend an hour star gazing or listening to the sounds of nature? |
| APRIL 2025 | |
| National Pet Month Thousands of people up and down the UK will be celebrating life with their pets, spreading the word on responsible pet ownership or raising money for their favourite charity in fun-filled events. Last year's event had a number of ways you can get involved #NationalPetMonth | |
| Spring in your Step Celebrate the beauty of spring and make the most of this stunning time of the year! Find out more from the Tree Council | |
| Cakes for Apes Join Cakes for Apes, the global baking fundraiser for International Animal Rescue that helps save orangutans! Get baking! | |
| 4 | World Stray Animals Day A worldwide celebrated day to give special attention to the 600.000.000 stray animals in the world. Snip International works to help build a future where stray cats and dogs don't exist. Find out more |
| 4 | World Rat Day A special day to celebrate all rats. Join in the rat chat at #WorldRatDay |
| 6-7 (TBC) | #BigGreenHike Choose your route, your distance and your cause. Many of Britain's nature and environmental charities are joining voices to encourage us all to walk to raise money for the green stuff. They all want us to protect and restore our natural environment. Find out more here |
| 7 | International Beaver Day The Wetlands Conservancy has information on events taking place on this day. Visit the Beaver Trust in the UK to find out all about beavers and how they are being restored to our natural world. |
| TBC | Grand National What happens to horses after their racing careers? Events like this give us an opportunity to see what we can do to help the charities helping retired racehorses. Gallop off to see them here - there's also a link to Animal Aid's campaign to ban jump racing. |
| 21 | World Curlew Day World Curlew Day is on 21 April, celebrating the curlew and promoting curlews too! Fly off to find out more |
| 22 | Earth Day 2020 marked the 50th year of Earth Day. We all have the power to change the world. So far, there have been 2,688,209,868 acts of green taken! In 2024, Earth Day is demanding a 60% reduction in the production of ALL plastics by 2040 |
| 22 - 28 | National Mammal Week How well do you know your British mammals? Visit the Mammal Society to find out more about them and find a local group! |
| 24 | World Day for Animals in Laboratories A United Nations recognized day of international commemoration of the suffering and killing of millions of innocent sentient beings in laboratories throughout the world |
| 25 | World Penguin Day Celebrate all things penguin and discover all about penguins. |
| 27 | World Tapir Day Seeks to raise awareness about tapirs and to develop a community around tapir awareness and conservation |
| 28 TBC | Save the Frogs Day Encourages the appreciation and celebration of amphibians by people from all walks of life |
| 29 TBC | World Veterinary Day The teams from Worldwide Veterinary Service treat horrific cases of neglect and mistreatment, as well as severe injuries and illnesses, in places where veterinary care is extremely limited or non-existent. This day is a good opportunity to raise awareness of the Worldwide Veterinary Service |
| MAY 2025 | |
| International Macaque Week Normally in the first week of May. Find out more about the conservation organisations working to help macaques and to making International Macaque Week happen. More info | |
| 3 | Wild Koala Day A day to celebrate wild koalas and protect their habitats. #wildkoaladay More Info |
| 5-11 TBC | Hedgehog Awareness Week The week is organised by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and aims to highlight the problems hedgehogs face and how you can help them. Find out more |
| 6-12 TBC | National Hedgerow Week Celebrate healthy hedges - they give everything wildlife need, with somewhere to rest, to nest and to enjoy a diverse food source for mammals and insects. Hedgerows has benefits for us as well, so find out how to get involved and help our hedges! Find out more |
| 8 | World Donkey Day This is a chance to recognise the work the donkeys do around the world to help so many people. Visit The Brooke who work in a number of countries around the world to help donkeys and who tackle issues such as the donkey skin crisis |
| 11-12 TBC | Empty The Tanks Worldwide Event Empty The Tanks mission is to end captivity and protect the ocean. Its vision is a world without cetacean captivity and a world with healthy oceans and marine life. This year, the theme is #SelfiesforCetaceans. Find out more |
| 13 | World Binturong Day The bingurongs face problems such as deforestation and illegal trade - but they also have a problem because most people don't know anything about them or even what they are, so this is a great chance to find out more about them! |
| 11 | World Migratory Bird Day An annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. This year, the theme will focus on the importance of insects to migratory birds. Find out more |
| 17 | Endangered Species Day An opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species and everyday actions they can take to help protect them. Find out more here |
| 20 | World Bee Day To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day. |
| 22 | International Day for Biological Diversity . The UN day set this up to to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. |
| 23 TBC | World Tree Kangaroo Day #WorldTreeKangarooDay #TreeKangaroos Visit Tree Kangaroo to find out more about them. |
| 23 | World Turtle Day Started by American Tortoise Rescue |
| 29 | World Otter Day The International Otter Survival Fund lists several events and awareness days for otters. This May event is to make people more aware of otters and the threats they face in the wild |
| 31 | World Parrot Day A chance to raise awareness of parrots. Here's the link to the World Parrot Trust |
| JUNE 2025 | |
| Go Wild in June Join your local Wildllife Trust and go wild with or for wildlife throughout the month of June. Do 30 simple Random Acts of Wildness, one a day. Find out more | |
| Take the Summer Vegan Pledge this month Sign up today - you'll get lots of help to go vegan this June (and beyond) with recipes, nutritional information, access to one-to-one support, and more! Help animals, the planet - and yourself! Organised by Animal Aid - check out their campaign on veganism. | |
| 1-7 | Volunteers Week A chance to celebrate and say thank you for the contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK. |
| 2 | National Animal Rights Day Held in a growing number of countries around the world to give a voice to all animals and raising awareness for their rights. Find out more here |
| 5 | World Environment Day A day about taking action to tackle urgent environmental issues. Find out more |
| 8 | World Oceans Day A day to celebrate and honor the ocean, which connects us all. Be a part of it! #WorldOceansDay. If you're planning an event, there's an event planning toolkit for you, too! |
| 8 | Global Beach Clean Up Get a band of friends and family together and devote 2 hours to a positive action that will benefit your community and the ocean environment. Find out more here |
| 8-9 tbc | The Big Help Out Discover local volunteering opportunities from organisations that would love your help. Just download the app, register and get searching! Find out more here |
| 8-9 tbc | PondWatch Help the British Dragonfly Society with their PondWatch - pledge an action to help conserve dragonflies and the habitat they need to survive and thrive. Even if you can't create a pond, you can find out how to support the Society and the creation of ponds! #PondWatch 2024 |
| 8-16 tbc | Great Big Green Week 2024 The UK's biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. There are lots of events taking place - it's organised by a coalition of nature organisations. Find out more |
| 9 | Coral Triangle Day This day seeks to show the Coral Triangle as a globally significant eco-region and to empower people to take actions to protect and conserve the ocean as a natural treasure. Did you know you can adopt a coral? |
| 14 | Stop Live Transport: International Awareness Day Held to build awareness and demonstrate global opposition to the abhorrent trade in, and long distance transport of, live animals. More info |
| 15 | International Working Animal Day The day aims to raise awareness about the vital role of working animals in people’s everyday lives. In 2023, the theme was all about the growing impact of plastic pollution on working animals in low-income countries. Find out more from SPANA |
| 16 | World Refill Day A global day of action to prevent plastic pollution and help people live with less waste. Reuse items, making one small change to your everyday routine to help reduce single-use plastic. Find out more |
| 17 | World Crocodile Day (or World Croc Day) Wildlife SOS introduce us to the three Indian crocodiles here - they are vital in maintaining the ecological balance, so they really matter. The most common is the Mugger (love the name!). Wildlife SOS do a lot to rescue crocs from situtations where they are in conflict with people. And a PETA Asia Investigation Reveals Egregious Cruelty in Gucci Parent’s Supply Chain - please take action here, it affects snakes and crocodiles. |
| 17-23 TBC | National Pollinator Week Celebrate the importance of pollinators and spread the word about how we can all help them. Visit Insect Week (UK) |
| 19 | World Albatross Day Find out about World Albatross Day and what you can do to help. Find out more |
| 21-30 Tbc | The Yulin Dog Festival, China This is a terrible event - thousands of dogs are rounded up to be eaten in Yulin, China as part of a Dog Meat Festival. The way the dogs are killed is horrific, and this event must be stopped. Visit NotodogMeat, and also there's a petition you can sign |
| 21 | Bring Your Dog To Work Day This annual nationwide raises money for charities dedicated to making a difference to the welfare of dogs - this year, All Dogs Matter, Surge Sanctuary and Animals Asia. And you don't need a dog to get involved! Find out more here |
| 21 | World Giraffe Day Celebrate the giraffe and see what you can do to help these wonderful animals from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation |
| 22 | World Rainforest Day The day celebrates rainforests and encourages action to preserve it. Find out more here |
| 22 | World Camel Day It's a chance to dedicate a day to camels - did you know the wild camel is the 8th most endangered of the large mammals? Find out more about camels and see how you can help the Wild Camel Protection Foundation |
| 24-28 TBC | Small Charity Week This celebrates and raises awareness of the essential work of the UK’s small charity sector who make an invaluable contribution to the lives of millions of individuals, communities and causes. Find out more |
| 24-28 TBC | Rabbit Awareness Week The Rabbit Awareness Action Group has a campaign through Rabbit Awareness Week to improve the lives of pet rabbits. Hop off here for more information. |
| 29 - 7 TBC | Swift Awareness Week Join walks, talks and events with local Swift experts and enthusiasts to enjoy watching these amazing birds and discover more about them. Find out more from the RSPB. |
| 29-7 TBC | United Kingdom Week for the Animals The week spotlights animal organizations, welfare initiatives, sanctuaries, students, artists, educators, community leaders, decision makers and caring citizens. There are pet adoption events, dog shows, salute to military and working K9s, low cost services, sanctuary open days, runs for the animals, pet food runs, animal-assisted therapy, low cost spay and neuter events, activities for horses and farm animals, opportunites to help farm animals, wildlife events, educational leafleting events, veggie and vegan activities, bird tours, garden parties, advocate events and so much more! Click here to visit their website |
| JULY 2025 | |
| The Plastic Challenge Sign up to the Marine Conservation Society's Plastic Challenge and reduce your plastic footprint - can you keep it going? | |
| 1-7 | National Clean Beaches Week Held in the US every year to coincide with July 4th, Independence Day, when littering is at its worst according to the event's website. Litter does a huge amount of damage to wildlife. Find out more |
| 1 | National Meadows Day 97% of the UK's meadows and flower-rich grasslands have been lost since the 1930s. Nearly 1,400 species of pollinators and other insects rely on meadow plants for their survival. Plantlife need help in turning this around. Held on the first Saturday in July. Find out more here |
| 3 tbc | World Seabird Day World Seabird Union is inviting everyone to share the hashtag #WorldSeabirdDay to spread the word about common threats to seabirds and ways to help seabird conservation. Find out more here. |
| 5-15 | Running of the Bulls, the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain This is a truly horrific event which takes place over a week and runs terrified bulls to the point of exhaustion through narrow streets, chased by crowds, after which the bulls are stabbed to death. PETA has a petition to urge the mayor of Pamplona to end the Running of the Bulls and subsequent bullfights during the San Fermín festival. Please sign and give these bulls your voice. |
| 6-14 TBC | Dragonfly Week Join the British Dragonfly Society and celebrate dragonflies and damselflies! #DragonflyWeek24 And send the Society your dragonfly sightings! You can submit your records via irecord. Find out more here |
| 10 | Capybara Appreciation Day How much do you know about the capybara? Find out more about them from the Rainforest Alliance. |
| 11 | World Population Day This is for humans who are now over 8 BILLION. |
| 14 | World Chimpanzee Day This is the first World Chimpanzee Day, a celebration of chimpanzees and an opportunity to raise awareness about the vital need for worldwide participation in their care, protection, and conservation in the wild and in captivity. Visit the Jane Goodall Institute for ways to help |
| 15 | Arctic Sea Ice Day This special day for the Arctic sea ice has been created by Polar Bears International to call attention to sea-ice losses and raise awareness of what can be done to help polar bears |
| 16 | World Snake Day The World Land Trust is encouraging us all to Be Kind to Snakes on World Snake Day. More info |
| 12-4 TBC | Big Butterfly Count Join in the world's biggest butterfly count and help Butterfly Conservation assess the health and state of the environment |
| 20-28 TBC | National Moth Week National Moth Week celebrates the beauty, life cycles, and habitats of moths. Learn about and observe moths, and become a Citizen Scientist and contribute scientific data about moths. |
| 26 | World Mangrove Day This UN day aims to raise awareness of the importance of mangrove ecosystems as “a unique, special and vulnerable ecosystem" and also to promote solutions for their sustainable management, conservation and uses |
| 26-4 TBC | Love Parks Week Love Parks Week encourages everyone to get out and enjoy their favourite park, so helping to protect them for future generations. More info |
| 27-11 TBC | National Marine Week National Marine Week is a chance to celebrate the wonderful wildlife found in the seas around the UK, and our relationship with the sea. Find out more |
| 29 | Global Tigers Day Global Tiger Day is held to give worldwide attention to the reservation of tigers. It is both an awareness day as a celebration. Take a prowl round Tigers4Ever and how you can help them help tigers. |
| 31 | World Rangers Day Commemorates rangers killed or injured in the line of duty, and celebrates the work rangers do to protect the world’s natural and cultural treasures |
| AUGUST 2025 | |
| 4 | International Owl Awareness Day Learn all about these amazing birds and how you can live an owl-friendly life. |
| 4 | International Clouded Leopard Day This is a very good chance to raise awareness of the beautiful clouded leopard. Find out more about the species here |
| 7-13 TBC | International Wolf Day Find out about Pacific Wild's Save the BC Wolves online campaign! Find out more |
| 8 | International Cat Day An opportunity to share our passion for cats and learn more about this fascinating species and promoting happiness through understanding so Making Happy Cats! #InternationalCatDay |
| 9 | International Moon Bear Day Wildlife SOS have a You Tube video for you to find out more about these beautiful bears! You can view it here and find out about their rescue centres with bears here. |
| 10 | World Lion Day The campaign aims to highlight the plight of African and Asiatic lion whilst also demonstrating our shared global heritage of the species. The lion plays a significant role biologically, culturally, symbolically, economically and more. It is hoped that the recognition of the species’ worldwide importance will result in more active conservation worldwide also. Visit lion charities to find out about conservation, such as the Pride Lion Conservation Alliance. More info |
| 12 | World Elephant Day To bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants - here are some ways to help |
| 18 TBC | Never Give Up Day Cultivate a mindset of determination. The day serves as a reminder and an opportunity to promote the importance of perseverance, determination, and resilience in the face of challenges and obstacles - never give up! |
| 19 | International Orangutan Day Raising awareness of the plight of the orangutan and how we can all help. |
| 20 TBC | International Homeless Animals Day To shed light on overpopulation and the spay/neuter solution. |
| 26 | International Dog Day This was started in the USA as National Dog Day but it's become an international day to recognise the number of dogs who need to be rescued from rescue each year. Somebody said recently if you buy from a breeder, that's one dog in rescue who is missing out on a home. I can't remember who it was, but it says it all. More info |
| 24-26 TBC | International Bat Night A celebration of bats, with events taking place all around the country so that you can see and hear bats in their natural habitat. Take a look at the Bat Conservation Trust to find out more about bats |
| 30 | International Whale Shark Day The day is held to highlight their wonder, their role in keeping our ocean ecosystems healthy and balanced – and the threats they face. More info |
| SEPTEMBER 2025 | |
| Debris Month of Action Thousands of scuba divers around the world rally together to take action against the trash from our everyday lives that makes its way to the ocean | |
| Dolphin Defender Month People worldwide are encouraged to take action against the dolphin slaughters and captures in Taiji, Japan and to find out more about the truth behind marine mammal capacity. It's organised by the Dolphin Project. Find out how you can help dolphins here | |
| Save the Koala Month It's Save the Koala Month - visit the Australian Koala Foundation to find out more | |
| Be a Jay for the Day This is a campaign from the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. Pick up an acorn and bury it, and so help plant oak trees that are home to over 2000 different species. This campaign runs between September and November. Find out more here | |
| The Great Global Nurdle Hunt So what is a nurdle? Nurdles are small plastic pellets - billions are used each year to make nearly all our plastic products but many end up washing up on our shores. Help deal with the problem by getting involved in a nurdle hunt! Find out more | |
| 1 | International Primate Day Find out all about primates from the Jane Goodall Institute and you can also get more info from the Lemur Conservation Foundation |
| 2-6 | Zero Waste Week An opportunity to reduce landfill waste & save money - start some new great habits |
| 7 | International Vulture Awareness Day Find out why vultures are important to the environment and why the work being done by the world's vulture conservationists is so important |
| 7 | National Threatened Species Day Australia's special day gives everyone a chance to reflect on what has been lost and what we can all do to protect nature. Find out more from the WWF in Australia. |
| 9-17 TBC | National Racehorse Week The week "is a nationwide annual celebration of the racehorse and a chance to see first-hand the love, care and attention that goes into looking after them" (visit the website here) but we want to use it as a chance to raise awareness of the charities who are working to help retired racehorses Please also visit Animal Aid and see their horseracing campaign |
| 9-15 | Remember a Charity in your Will Week A chance to think about what you can pass on to future generations. Find out more from the website. More Info |
| 13 | Vietnam National Bear Day Since 2012, September 13th has been Vietnam’s official Bear Day. The idea is to raise awareness and urge the public to stop bear farming. Find out more for Education for Nature, Vietnam |
| 20-29 TBC | Great British Beach Clean An annual beach clean and survey, the largest in the UK. Clean up Britain's beaches. |
| 20 TBC | World Cleanup Day 11 million environmental heroes from 165 countries took part in 2020 - the biggest waste collection day in human history! |
| 21 | International Red Panda Day Find out about red pandas on International Red Panda Day, and also the Red Panda Network. |
| 22 | World Rhino Day A day of celebration for all five species of rhino, which also raises awareness of the threats to them. |
| 22 -22 | Seed Gathering Season This is run by the Tree Council (who are always looking for volunteer tree wardens) and the event inpsires everyone to join in gathering seeds, fruits and nuts - these can be nurtured to grow the trees of the future. The event runs for a month . |
| 23-29 TBC | Red Squirrel Awareness Week A good opportunity to discover more about red squirrels and the work being done to protect them and ensure their survival. Visit the Red Squirrel Survival Trust for more information. If you're in Scotland, you could also take part in the Great Scottish Squirrel Survey |
| 22 TBC | World Rivers Day Taking place on the last Sunday in September, this day celebrates the world's waterways and it highlights their importance. It encourages the improved stewardship of rivers around the world. |
| 22-28 TBC | Sea Otter Awareness Week A week to inspire a deeper awareness of these unique marine mammals, their ecological importance and the many challenges they face. #SeaOtterAwarenessWeek |
| 24 | World Gorilla Day World Gorilla Day gives us all the chance to come together in celebrate gorillas and more importantly, taking action to protect gorillas in the wild. More |
| 27 TBC | Save the Koala Day There are many different ways to help this iconic species of Australia - find out more here |
| OCTOBER 2025 | |
| World Vegetarian Day This kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month - give being a veggie a go, if you haven't already! | |
| 1-31 | Sloth Tober (all month) and International Sloth Day (the 20th) The Sloth Conservation Foundation have a really good blog about the threats facing sloths. They are trying to raise $20,000 this month to support their research and conservation efforts. Find out more here |
| 1-31 | Broctober The Badger Trust and Scottish Badgers in designating the whole month - celebrate badgers and raise awareness of them and it's a good chance to find out more about badger culling and what you can do to help. #Brocktober |
| 1-7 TBC | National Vegetarian Week Take the challenge - or why wait? There are lots of lovely mouth watering vegetarian recipes on the main website - and here's more about why being a veggie is kinder to animals |
| 1-31 | Adoptober The RSPCA is spotlighting heartwarming stories of pets who have found their forever homes and rEarly giving opens earlyaising awareness of those who are still looking. Adopt, don't shop! |
| 2-16 | World Land Trust's Big Match Fortnight Every year, the World Land Trust has a Big Match Fortnight, an appeal where donations are doubled. In 2024, the appeal is appeal is Protecting the Ecuadorian Amazon, and the Trust is aiming to raise £1.3 million. You can still donate, although the Fortnight is over Find out more here. |
| 4 | World Animal Day An opportunity to remember and pay tribute to all animals and the people who love and respect them and to join in events around the world. |
| 4 | International Zookeeper Day This is a chance to reflect on the huge contribution zookeepers make to the care and conservation of all species. Find out more |
| 6 | National Badger Day Celebrate the badger with the Badger Trust. Why not get involved in a badger group near you? #LoveBadgers |
| 8 TBC | Giving Day for Apes Join the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries for a global day of giving in support of more than 30 qualified sanctuaries and rescue centers providing rehabilitation or long-term care for apes throughout Africa, Asia and North America. Early giving is open so you dont' have to wait until the 8th! Find out more ! |
| 8 | World Octopus Day This day raises awareness of octopei - find out more about the common octopus here Please sign PETA's petition to Gran Caneria asking them to stop the world's first octopus farm. |
| 9-11 TBC | Asia Farm Animal Day The day aims to raise awareness of the need to help farmed animals in Asia. Find out more here. |
| 10 | International African Penguin Awareness Day Find out all about the African penguin and raise awareness of it. |
| 12 TBC | World Migratory Bird Day An annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats |
| 12 | World Sloth Bear Day The day aims to raise awareness of sloth bears, 90% of whom live in India, and work being done to help conserve and protect them. Visit Wildlife SOS to find out more. Please sign their petition here to support the official designation of sanctuaries in India. |
| 18 | World Okapi Day The day focuses on celebrating the opaki and using them as a flagship species to protect the entire forest ecosystem in which they lives. Find out more |
| 20 | International Sloth Day Created by Foundation AIUNAU to position a sloth international day on the worldwide level. Visit the Sloth Conservation Foundation here. |
| 21 | Reptile Awareness Day The day is held to to help protect and conserve reptiles. Why not see if you can volunteer with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust? They have groups around the UK. |
| 22 | International Wombat Day How much do you know about wombats? HSI Australia has 5 ways you can help them. And find out about the Wildlife Land Trust, a network of privately-owned wildlife sanctuaries committed to preserving wildlife and habitats. |
| 23 | World Snow Leopard Day Committed to raising awareness for the plight of an iconic species. Find out more here |
| 24-31 TBC | Bat Week Bat Week celebrates the role bats play in nature. It also raises the need for bat conservation. Find out more here |
| 25 | World Lemur Day celebrate lemurs and spread the word about their conservation on World Lemur Day and during the World Lemur Festival! |
| 27 | National Black Cat Day Cats Protection created National Black Cat Day back on 27 October 2011 "to help celebrate the majesty of monochrome moggies and beautiful black cats". Black and black and white cats took an average of 7 days longer to find a home, compared with cats of other colours. #BlackCatDay Find out all about it here. |
| NOVEMBER 2025 | |
| Manatee Appreciation Month The month is dedicated to raising awareness about manatees, their conservation status, and the actions we can take to contribute to their protection. Help spread the word and inspire change. Find out more here. | |
| 4 | National Numbat Day This is a great chance to find out about numbats - do you know what they are? Find out here! |
| 4 | National Bison Day The day commemorates the contribution of the bison to the USA and efforts to restore conservation herds of bison to the on Tribal and public lands. Find out more |
| 5 | 5th November is Guy Fawkes Night The trouble is, fireworks go on all year long and the noisy ones should be banned. See the RSPCA advice about animal care and fireworks here, and visit their #BangOutofOrder campaign here. |
| 7 | National Hug a Bear Day Well, you wouldn't hug an actual bear, but this is too good an opportunity to miss to raise awareness of bear charities, wild and captive! |
| 10-16 tbc | Orangutan Caring Week Raise awareness for the conservation of orangutans and their habitats in Indonesia. Orange for Orangutans Day falls in the middle of it on the 13th. This is your chance to inject some orange into your life and do some fundraising & raise awareness for the Orangutan Foundation, e.g. wear something orange, have a bake sale at work of orange cakes etc. #GoOrange |
| 11 | Remembrance Day An opportunity to remember animals who have served us in times of war and who are still suffering from the wars around them. Find out more here |
| 19 | World Anteater Day How much do you know about anteaters? This is a good chance to discover more about them. Biodb.com have some anteater info for you! |
| last week Nov tbc | National Tree Week National Tree Week is a great chance for communities to do something positive for their local treescape, and for people to get their hands dirty and plant some trees. Find out more |
| 29 | International Jaguar Day This day will raise awareness about threats facing the jaguar, conservation efforts ensuring its survival and the role of the jaguar as a keystone species,. More info |