World Otter Day occurs on the last Wednesday of May, which is May 27 this year. Otters are beautiful, playful animals that live in wetlands across the world. Species are declining due to habitat destruction, reduction of prey, roadkill, and illegal trade for fur and as pets. There are 13 different species, 12 of which are disappearing. Seven of these species are classified as vulnerable and five are endangered. The International Otter Survival Fund founded World Otter Day with two goals in mind. First, to help raise awareness of the dangers that otters face. Second, to educate people on how to protect their habitats.
Culture Freedom Day
Culture Freedom Day is observed on the third Saturday of May every year and this year, it takes place on May 16. It aims to educate the world about the advantages of promoting free culture. The day also acts as a dedicated day and international platform for free culture artists to promote themselves. First coined by Lawrence Lessig in 2004, the free culture movement upholds the creation of art made available to others for free use, study, distribution, improvement, etc. The movement opposes practices restricting art from entering the public domain. Copyright extensions are examples of such practices.
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, also known as Diversity Day, is celebrated on May 21 every year. It is a day set aside to appreciate the cultural diversities between different countries, states, and people in the World. This day is of serious importance as three-quarters of the world’s major conflicts have a cultural dimension. That is a really big slice of the pie being culture-related. This has led to efforts by the United Nations and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to curb this in a bid to achieve one of its major objectives — bringing peace into the World.