World Animal Day—“Save Animals, Save the Planet!”, 4 October 2025

World Animal Day, which will be celebrated on 4 October, is a day that serves as a catalyst for the animal welfare movement, mobilizing it into a global force to make the world a better place for all animals by raising awareness and taking action for their well-being.

This year’s theme—“Save Animals, Save the Planet!”—draws attention to the connection between animal and environmental welfare. From biodiversity loss and habitat destruction to industrial farming and pollution, the ways we treat animals have a direct impact on the planet’s health, and vice versa. The conservation of animal species can aid in the preservation of their environment, and we must commit to the protection of both.

In recognition of World Animal Day, MDPI supports global efforts in conservation of animal life and consequently, the planet. Through open access publishing, we invite you to explore selected articles, Special Issues, and journals that span fields such as animal sciences, biology, and ecology, encouraging knowledge-sharing and collaboration with the aim of making a difference in animal welfare.

Biology & Life Science	● Metabolites;	Environment & Earth Sciences
● Arthropoda;	● Pets;	● Conservation;
● Animals;	● Poultry;	● Diversity;
● Biology;	● Ruminants;	● Ecologies;
● Birds;	● Taxonomy;	● Sustainability.
● Fishes;	● Veterinary Sciences;
● Insects;	● Wild.
● JZBG;

Keynote Speakers:
Prof. Lynne U. Sneddon, University of Gothenburg, Sweden	Dr. Subir Sarker, James Cook University, Australia	Prof. Dr. Paulo A.V. Borges, University of the Azores, Portugal

Free to register for this webinar here!

“Fragmented Habitats, Fragmented Functions: Unveiling the Role of Habitat Structure in Andean Bird Communities”
by Valentina Ramos-Mosquera, Edwin López-Delgado and Miguel Moreno-Palacios
Ecologies 2025, 6(3), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies6030052

“Assessing Habitat Suitability and Overlap for South China Sika Deer and Sympatric Ungulates”
by Jing Zhang, Yankuo Li, Zhaoyang Wang, Guangyao Wang, Shizhao He, Yu Zheng and Chunlin Li
Ecologies 2025, 6(2), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies6020041

“Monarch Butterflies in Western North America: A Holistic Review of Population Trends, Ecology, Stressors, Resilience and Adaptation”
by David G. James
Insects 2024, 15(1), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15010040

“Cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea: Encounter Rate, Dominant Species, and Diversity Hotspots”
by Guido Gnone, Michela Bellingeri, Sabina Airoldi, Joan Gonzalvo, Léa David, Nathalie Di-Méglio,
Ana M. Cañadas, Aylin Akkaya, Tim Awbery, Barbara Mussi et al.
Diversity 2023, 15(3), 321; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15030321

Special Issues:

“Ecology, Diversity and Conservation of Butterflies” Guest Editor: Dr. Marcin Sielezniew Submission deadline: 28 February 2026	“Conservation and Ecology of Polymorphic Animal Populations” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Luca Luiselli and Dr. Massimiliano Di Vittorio Submission deadline: 31 May 2026

“The Impacts of Traffic Intensity on Taxonomic and Functional Diversity in Understory Spiders from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest”
by Rebeca Esther Da Justa Ximenes, Matheus Leonydas Borba Feitosa, Nancy Lo-Man-Hung, Hugo Rodrigo Barbosa-da-Silva, André Otávio Silva-Junior, Alysson Henrique Alcântara Lins, Geraldo Jorge Barbosa de Moura and André Felipe de Araújo Lira
Arthropoda 2025, 3(2), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/arthropoda3020007  

“Anthropogenic Impact and Antimicrobial Resistance Occurrence in South American Wild Animals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”
by Manuel Pérez Maldonado, Constanza Urzúa-Encina, Naomi Ariyama and Patricio Retamal
Wild 2025, 2(2), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/wild2020014

“The Evolution of Zoos as Conservation Institutions: A Summary of the Transition from Menageries to Zoological Gardens and Parallel Improvement of Mammalian Welfare Management”
by Haley N. Beer, Trenton C. Shrader, Ty B. Schidt and Dustin T. Yates
J. Zool. Bot. Gard. 2023, 4(4), 648–664; https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg4040046

“The Hell of Wildfires: The Impact on Wildlife and Its Conservation and the Role of the Veterinarian”
by Andreia Garcês and Isabel Pires
Conservation 2023, 3(1), 96–108; https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation3010009

“Spatiotemporal Patterns of Wolves, and Sympatric Predators and Prey Relative to Human Disturbance in Northwestern Greece”
by Maria Petridou, John F. Benson, Olivier Gimenez and Vassiliki Kati
Diversity 2023, 15(2), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020184

Special Issues:

“Conflict and Coexistence Between Humans and Wildlife” Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Li Zhang Submission deadline: 31 March 2026	“The Future of Marine Megafauna” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Vincent L. Bels and Prof. Dr. John R. Turner Submission deadline: 31 July 2026

“Intervertebral Disc Disease in Dogs”
by Iván Gómez Álvarez, José Manuel Verdes García and Luciano Espino López
Pets 2025, 2(3), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/pets2030026

“Dairy Farmers and Veterinarians’ Agreement on Communication in Udder Health Consulting”
by Michael Farre, Erik Rattenborg, Henk Hogeveen, Volker Krömker and Carsten Thure Kirkeby
Vet. Sci 2024, 11(12), 665; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11120665  

“Behavioral, Physiological and Hormonal Changes in Primiparous and Multiparous Goats and Their Kids During Peripartum”
by Paolo Cano-Suarez, Juan Pablo Damian, Rosalba Soto, Karen Ayala, Joob Zaragoza, Rocio Ibarra,
Jesús Jonathan Ramírez-Espinosa, Laura Castillo, Irma Eugenia Candanosa Aranda and Angélica Terrazas
Ruminants 2024, 4(4), 515–532; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants4040036

“Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5 Clade 2.3.4.4b Virus Infection in Birds and Mammals”
by Giulia Graziosi, Caterina Lupini, Elena Catelli and Silvia Carnaccini
Animals 2024, 14(9), 1372; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14091372

Special Issues:

“Emerging Models in Veterinary and Comparative Pathology” Guest Editors: Dr. Karen Power and Prof. Dr. Gionata De Vico Submission deadline: 15 December 2025	“Advancements in Animal Reproductive Biotechnology: Protecting the Future of Endangered Wildlife Species and Domestic Breeds” Guest Editors: Dr. Amin Sayyari and Prof. Dr. Ian Mayer Submission deadline: 31 December 2025
“Veterinary Science in Action: How Zoo and Aquarium Animals Are Diagnosed and Cured” Guest Editors: Dr. Carlos Sánchez, Dr. Richard Sim and Dr. Josie Rose Submission deadline: 30 June 2026	“Advances in Infectious and Parasitic Diseases of Animals”

“A Poorly Known Catfish Clade in an Endangered Neotropical Biodiversity Hotspot: Relationships and Distribution Patterns of the Cambeva variegata Group (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae)”
by Wilson J. E. M. Costa, José Leonardo O. Mattos, Valter M. Azevedo-Santos, Caio R. M. Feltrin, Pedro F. Amorim, Felipe P. Ottoni, Paulo J. Vilardo and Axel M. Katz
Fishes 2024, 9(4), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9040116

“Description of Bisbalus, a New Genus for the Gray Brocket, Mazama cita Osgood, 1912 (Mammalia, Cervidae), as a Step to Solve the Neotropical Deer Puzzle”
by Eluzai Dinai Pinto Sandoval, Wlodzimierz J˛edrzejewski, Jesús Molinari, Miluse Vozdova, Halina Cernohorska, Svatava Kubickova, Agda Maria Bernegossi, Renato Caparroz and José Mauricio Barbanti Duarte
Taxonomy 2024, 4(1), 10–26; https://doi.org/10.3390/taxonomy4010002

“Searching for a Home Port in a Polyvectic World: Molecular Analysis and Global Biogeography of the Marine Worm Polydora hoplura (Annelida: Spionidae)”
by Vasily I. Radashevsky, Vasily V. Malyar, Victoria V. Pankova, Jin-Woo Choi, Seungshic Yum and James T. Carlton
Biology 2023, 12(6), 780; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12060780