Bless the beasts and children
Play
The World Society for the Protection of Animals is showing kids how to act responsibly
Bangkok children are getting an education in taking care of animals – and protecting themselves from the nastier ones – in a series of activities organised by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).
Teachers at Bangkok Metropolitan Administration schools are being trained to pass on knowledge that ought to ensure the youngsters can be responsible pet owners.
Fifty-two teachers at 52 schools completed the course “The First Concept on Animal Welfare” last year, and WSPA Thailand director Supaporn Last hopes the content will be integrated into the curriculum of intermediate schools.
“This project has been in progress for years, in the hope that the teachers will share their experience in animal welfare with their students to encourage love, care and responsibility for animals,” she says.
Among other materials, the WSPA provides a manual, animated film and stickers designed to make the content of the course easy for children to understand. They show how dogs communicate through their eyes and wagging tails, for example.
Sarinya Nilsri, principal of Wat Liab Ratbamrung School in Bang Sue district, believes the course can help students understand animals better and encourage them to treat animals with kindness. “Humans and animals can live in harmony,” she says.
There are also competitions on the subject for drawing and writing essays. The essay topic might be “How I make my pet happy and healthy” or “What my world would be like without animals”.
Pakhin “Tono” Khumwilaisak recently signed on as WSPA ambassador for the educational project and has helped lead a class on staying safe from dog bites and rabies “by understanding dog language”.
