World Animal Day is this Saturday, 4 October — a global moment to stand up for animals and the planet we share. This year’s theme, “Save Animals, Save the Planet,” reminds us that protecting animals is essential to protecting Earth.
 In 2024–2025, 94,155 cattle were shipped from Townsville, making our city Australia’s second-largest live cattle export port. This trade is not only cruel — it’s damaging our environment.
 In Queensland, 86% of land clearing in 2022-2023 (283,918 hectares) was for pasture, mainly for cattle. That’s forests destroyed, habitats lost, and wildlife pushed to the brink. Live export ships pollute our oceans with sewage and waste. Long-distance transport adds massive CO₂ emissions, fuelling climate change.
 It’s time to rethink this industry. On World Animal Day, let’s raise our voices for change — for the animals, for the planet, and for future generations.
 Please make time to send a message to the PM https://www.pm.gov.au/contact and the Minister for Agriculture, Julie Collins https://minister.agriculture.gov.au/collins/contact calling for an end to ALL live animal exports from Australia. For information about events being held around the world see https://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/events-list/ The animals in the photo were exported to Indonesia by sea onboard the Jawan in April 2025.