March 3 — World Wildlife Day: history and traditions of the holiday

World Wildlife Day 2025: the history and theme of the holiday

World Wildlife Day was established in 2013 by the UN General Assembly with the aim of raising people's awareness of the diversity of wild animal and plant species, as well as the benefits of environmental protection. The date of the celebration was not chosen by chance — on March 3, 1973, the Convention on International Trade in Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was adopted.

CITES is one of the largest environmental documents in the world. To date, it has been signed by 185 states, including Russia. The Convention is aimed at combating poaching and illegal trade in rare wildlife. It protects about 6.6 thousand species of animals and 34.3 thousand species of plants, whose existence is under threat.

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Every year, a specific theme is chosen for World Wildlife Day. In 2025, it reads like this: "Financing Wildlife conservation: investing in people and the planet." The aim of the current campaign is to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of financing environmental initiatives.

Today, more than 1 million species of animals worldwide are at risk. Their populations are declining due to the reduction of hunting grounds and habitats, human industrial activity, climate change, illegal hunting, environmental pollution and other negative factors.

The updated edition of the Red Book of Russia from 2021 includes 443 species of animals and birds, including the Amur tiger, polar bear, snow leopard, bison, black-bellied capercaillie, red-legged ibis and others.

Traditions of World Wildlife Day

In honor of World Wildlife Day, educational events aimed at maintaining the biodiversity of our planet are being held in Russia and other countries. Rare species tours are held in zoos and natural science museums, and interactive classes and quests are held for children. Documentaries about nature protection are shown on television.

Also, on March 3, volunteers often go out on clean-up days, clearing parks, forests and coastal areas of garbage, because thousands of animals, birds and fish die every year because of garbage. Public organizations start fundraising for various environmental projects.

Interesting facts about wild animals

In honor of the holiday, Izvestia made a selection of interesting facts about wild animals.

Some jawless fish, amphibians and reptiles have a third eye, although it does not see the future. It is a photosensitive organ located between the main eyes. It cannot perceive an image, but it plays an important role in regulating circadian cycles and orientation in space.

The front paws of hares have different lengths — one of them is always shorter than the other. Due to this feature, long-eared birds can run, twisting, and confuse the predators chasing them.

Thanks to satellite images of pastures, scientists found out that cows sense the earth's magnetic field. Moreover, during their rest they prefer to lie down along his lines of force. However, the researchers have not yet found out what the benefits of this behavior are for the cows.

Squirrels are not only thrifty, but also cautious animals. They make two exits in their homes at once: one is the main one, and the other is intended for emergency evacuation.

Earlier, Izvestia told about the history and traditions World Pet Day.