ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- 'World Animal Day' is celebrated each year on October 4th. On this day, animal life in all its forms is celebrated, and special events are planned in locations worldwide. The holiday began in Florence, Italy in 1931 at a convention of ecologists. Their intention was to highlight the plight of endangered species. October 4th was originally chosen for World Animal Day because it is the feast day of Francis of Assisi, a nature lover and patron saint of animals and the environment.

In New York City on October 4th, and throughout the month of October -- which is World Animal Month -- Pedicabs will traverse New York City's highest traffic areas featuring provocative ads of endangered species that the Arlington, Va.-based global environmental organization Rare (http://www.RareConservation.org) works every day of the year to protect. Wild postings of large "Animals don't need to evolve. We do"-themed ads featuring additional species will also be widely distributed throughout New York City, and are expected to get extensive viral Internet pick-up. (Note: All of the ads will be posted online shortly and will be available upon request.)

The ads were created by DIGO (http://www.digobrands.com), advertising, design and digital Agency for a Social World, which Fast Company recently cited as one of the 10 "Foremost World-Changing Agencies."  

Just a few of Rare's other special events and campaigns around the world in October (World Animal Month) are:

• On October 17, the 3rd Annual Ko'ko Road Race will take place in Guam, to highlight the plight of the country's near-extinct territorial bird (the Guam Rail or Ko'ko)

• Rare is running a Pride campaign in Mongolia to save the taimen (world's largest salmon); they will increase the number of fishers who catch and release taimen back into the river by 15% by October 2010.

• By October 2010, 90% of villagers in the Yunnan Province's Baima will know that the Yunnan Golden Monkey is a precious species; 90% will know that fuelwood threatens the monkey, and will know the benefits of alternative resources.

More About World Animal Day:

The official World Animal Day website (http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk) was launched in the UK on October 4, 2003. In 2009, over 80 countries were involved, with a vast array of events from small grassroots groups to high-end galas and award ceremonies.

About Rare:

Rare (based in Arlington, Va.) is the leader in social and behavioral change for conservation -- with a successful track record in over 50 countries in the global tropics, to date. Rare's campaigns have influenced more than 6.8 million people living in over 2,400 remote communities. Rare was cited as one of Fast Company magazine's Top Social Entrepreneurs four years in a row.

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SOURCE Rare Conservation