Change the future... Inspire children
There are no quick fixes to changing the attitudes of people towards street animals. That’s why at Manali Strays we believe the best hope for the future is to focus on children. As they are the future, changing their attitudes and getting them to leave behind the archaic beliefs and attitudes of previous generations is key. With this in mind we started our Compassion Education Program, which specifically targets the schools in Kullu district.
We focus on holding interactive sessions where school classes visit our rescue centre and meet the animals, which is always a highlight for our furry patients and the children. As part of the compassion education program, children learn about animal welfare, dog behaviour and body language, and rabies.
Animal Welfare and the Five Freedoms
At Manali Strays, we teach children to show compassion towards all animals and explain about the importance of animal welfare.
Our aim is that children leave our centre understanding the importance of the Five Freedoms and what they themselves can do to help animals live in this manner.
- FREEDOM FROM HUNGER AND THIRST.
- FREEDOM FROM DISCOMFORT.
- FREEDOM FROM PAIN, INJURY OR DISEASE.
- FREEDOM TO EXPRESS NORMAL BEHAVIOUR.
- FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND DISTRESS.
We have already received many calls about sick or injured animals because children who have attended our sessions have told their parents about our work, or even called our helpline themselves.
Behaviour and Body Language
Understanding the basics of animal behaviour and body language, as well as how to behave and not behave around dogs, is extremely important. If children can learn to identify a scared, anxious, or stressed dog compared with a friendly relaxed dog, it will go a long way in preventing unnecessary dog bites.
Dogs are not born aggressive and wanting to bite, they learn to do so to protect themselves from perceived danger. Dogs will always communicate their feelings with us and other dogs and warn before biting… we just need to learn what they are saying and behave accordingly.
So far, 200 children, from three different schools, have visited Manali Strays for our Compassion Education Program.
Rabies Education
Old wives tales and traditional remedies about how to prevent rabies when bitten by a dog are rampant throughout India. We believe it is vital to educate children and adults the scientific facts about rabies and dog bites. Here are some of the more dangerous myths:
- Going to the temple will stop you getting rabies.
- You will get pregnant with a puppy if you are bitten by a dog.
- Applying tumeric to a dog bite wound will stop you getting rabies.
Among our team, we have staff who hold Rabies Educator and Community Coordinator for Rabies Certificates, and a PhD in Immunology. Therefore, with all of this knowledge between us, we only teach the fact
