Celebrating World Animal Day in Mamre
Each and every one of us can make a difference to animals. World Animal Day is celebrated annually all over the world, and aims to raise the status of animals in order to improve their welfare standards.
FOUR PAWS South Africa will be marking the day by partaking in Mamre Library October 2017 Holiday Program, as part of the Mending Mamre Project’s Educational Interventions on Wednesday, 4 October. A fun morning of educational and awareness activities is planned with games, animal yoga and a poster competition to name but a few. Come and join us from 10am at the hall, next to Mamre Public Library in Mamrem just outside of Atlantis in the West Coast of the Western Cape.
FOUR PAWS South Africa have been working in conjunction with the Mamre Library on previous holiday programs, which have alll been very succesful. The children of this town are eager to learn more, and ask questions about their pets, and the care of these animals. We are encouraging their curiousity by trying to bring new and exciting ways of learning about animals, encouraging in them a love for animals, and relaying the message that animals are sentient beings just like us. This World Animal Day will be no different and we are hoping for a good turnout at the event.
International animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS South Africa, in conjunction with local NGO African Tails, have been working in this town since February 2017 implementing a mass animal sterilization and education programme called Mending Mamre for the protection and welfare of companion animals in the Mamre area. Mamre is a small town outside of Cape Town, with a big problem – an impoverished semi-rural area with limited resources where pet overpopulation is rife. World Animal Day is a special opportunity to instill empathy, love and respect in the future pet owners and adults of this town. Through increased awareness and education, we can help develop a compassionate culture for all living creatures.
To make a sterilization campaign successful one needs to go to the root of the problem. Teaching children to have empathy for living creatures, not only betters the lives of the animals they encounter, but it also builds and strengthens a community for years to come. FOUR PAWS South Africa have been actively busy in this town via education on animal welfare issues and proper animal care since February 2017. Educational talks and activities with the town’s children is done at the primary school, special events to mark specific days, participation in the library program over school holidays, and visits to creches. Providing educational reading material to adults, assisting owners to better the lives of their companion animal, and being involved in the town’s events and special days is invaluable. Door-to-door visits provide a incredible way of teaching families about their pets, and offers the true picture of pets and their owners, thereby enabling the organization to give the best possible assistance, advice and guidance.
FOUR PAWS South Africa encourages other animal welfare organizations, community groups, youth and children’s clubs, businesses and individuals to organize their own events in celebration of World Animal Day.
- Contact Name: Tanya van Tonder
- Contact Email: tanya.van.tonder@four-paws.org.za
- Location: Cape Town
- Organised by: Tanya van Tonder
Each and every one of us can make a difference to animals. And after our World Animal Day in Mamre, the children who attended our event has hopefully now been inspired to show more humanity towards animals.
World Animal Day is celebrated annually all over the world, and aims to raise the status of animals in order to improve their welfare standards. FOUR PAWS South Africa marked the special day by partaking in Mamre Library’s October 2017 Holiday Program, as part of the #MendingMamre Mass Animal Sterilisation and Education Project’s Educational Interventions. In conjunction with local NGO African Tails, we have been working in this town since February 2017 towards the protection and welfare of companion animals in the Mamre area.
FOUR PAWS South Africa celebrated World Animal Day with fun educational and awareness activities such as animal games, an animal-inspired yoga session and our very own World Animal Day poster competition. With these educational interventions and activities with the youth of Mamre we aimed to help create responsible and loving pet owners of the future, and work towards creating better lives for the animals of this often forgotten little town. More humanity towards animals – not only on World Animal Day, but on all days.
We had 76 children ranging from 4 years to 12 years at our event, which was very succesful in delivering the message, and great fun was had by all! The children embraced the animal yoga poses, and also had a short meditation session imagining themselves as animals out in the world. The poster competition was won by Team Busy Bees, and they walked away feeling proud of their achievement. Other fun animal inspired games was enjoyed, such as a game of The Lion King Says, based on Simon Says.
For more information on this ongoing project in the town of Mamre, please follow us on Facebook.