World Animal Day 2025: Save Animals, Save the Planet

World Animal Day is celebrated annually on 4th October. It is a day dedicated to raising awareness and inspiring action to make the world a better place for animals. The official theme for this year is “Save Animals, Save the Planet!”

This year’s theme underscores the close link between global health and animal welfare. From pollution and industrial farming to habitat destruction and biodiversity loss, the way we treat animals has a direct impact on the ecosystem, and vice versa.

Growing recognition of the ethical, environmental and social consequences of how we treat animals has, in recent years, brought animal welfare increasingly into public focus.

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) is keen to highlight animal welfare and protection as a vital priority on this day, in light of the escalating global crisis that affects animals everywhere.

In Malaysia, most animals reared for food are confined in sheds, cages, feedlots or pens, where they endure discomfort and are prevented from engaging in natural behaviours such as running, nesting and foraging, until they are eventually transported for slaughter.

These cruel practices, driven by the demand for cheap meat and dairy products, result in immense suffering, particularly for pigs and poultry, in industrial farms. Animal welfare too often takes a back seat to profit.

Furthermore, because livestock are confined in cramped, overcrowded sheds, farmed animals are either killed or maimed during fires and floods as a result of being physically restrained — whether by cages or by lameness induced through poor conditions. Fires at chicken coops and poultry farms that kill thousands of hens are frequently reported in the news, and farmers are unable to evacuate the vast number of birds kept on a single farm.

Farm animals are defenceless and are always among the victims of natural disasters. Yet there are currently no procedures in place to evacuate or protect cattle and poultry, leading to significant financial losses. Livestock are largely overlooked in disaster management measures.

The prevalence of animal cruelty in Malaysia has grown over time, revealing the disturbing levels of inhumanity within society. Between 2021 and 2024, the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) received 7,613 reports of animal abuse and neglect.

Dogs were the most frequently abused, with 5,226 confirmed cases, followed by cats, with 1,900 cases. Other animals included cows, horses, rabbits and birds. Exotic species, chickens, hamsters, goats, guinea pigs, geese, fish, ducks, turtles and snakes were also reported. Selangor recorded the highest number of complaints, followed by Kuala Lumpur. Other states included Melaka, Kedah, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Johor and Penang, while Kelantan, Perlis, Terengganu, Putrajaya and Labuan reported smaller, double-digit figures.

The increase in abuse and neglect is alarming. Nevertheless, CAP is encouraged that four incidents of cats being thrown from high-rise buildings between 2020 and May 2024 have been successfully prosecuted. In other cases of neglect or cruelty, 52 individuals were charged, with nine sentenced to prison and 30 fined a total of RM970,800.

The time has come to scrutinise pet shops, where cruelty is rife. Puppies and kittens are separated from their mothers within a month of birth to attract customers with their cuteness, many growing up with health problems caused by malnutrition and inadequate medical care. Birds are caged in direct sunlight, while cockatoos and macaws tethered on short chains are heard screeching in distress. Pet shop owners, puppy mills, kitten mills and backyard breeders prioritise profit over welfare, treating animals as commodities rather than sentient beings. Without stronger legislation, these profit-driven atrocities will continue.

Exotic species fare no better, often falling into the hands of people lacking the knowledge, resources or commitment to care for them properly. Many are acquired for their unusual appearance, rarity or status value, with psychological motives such as the desire to stand out or project prestige also at play.

Mistreatment by children — such as rough handling, squeezing, poking or pulling at tails and ears — can distress these fragile creatures. Placed in inappropriate habitats or handled carelessly, they suffer greatly. Most require specialised diets and living conditions that are difficult to provide, and, unlike domesticated animals, they have not been bred to adapt to captivity. As a result, they experience greater welfare problems, suffering in silence in an alien environment.

Many forms of entertainment also involve animal exploitation. Animals are not entertainers, circus clowns or props for staged performances. Tigers, elephants, monkeys, otters and other species are forced to perform unnatural acts under threat of physical punishment. Before being used for rides, elephants endure the brutal ‘crush’ process — beatings, starvation and sleep deprivation — designed to break their spirit and force submission. This cruel practice has been widely condemned by animal welfare organisations.

World Animal Day serves as a reminder that animals deserve protection. It is a powerful opportunity to advocate for structural change and to recognise animal sentience. A cruelty-free future is achievable, but only if we first acknowledge the suffering inherent in factory farming, wildlife exploitation and the commodification of animals.

Mohideen Abdul Kader
President
Consumers’ Association of Penang

Press Statement, 4 October 2025