ARINDAM GANGULY, OPBhubaneswar: As the world celebrates World Animal Day 2025, Odisha stands out as a beacon of biodiversity, sheltering over 114 species of mammals, 537 birds, 131 reptiles, and more across its forests, mangroves, and coastlines. However, this rich biodiversity faces serious threats—habitat loss, poaching, electrocution, and climate change – calling for an urgent need to save animals, which, experts say, is not just an act of compassion but an environmental and survival imperative. The theme for World Animal Day 2025 – ‘Save Animals, Save the Planet’ – sends a powerful message that the survival of animal species is directly linked to the health of our environment. Thus, saving animals is not just an act of compassion but an environmental and survival imperative. So, on this World Animal Day, let us commit to learning and understanding how animals think, feel, and behave.