In a new year full of promise, the Health Inspection Office kicked off the first session of this year's "Animal Protection and Rabies Prevention Campus Awareness" at Yuemei Elementary School on January 18. At this session, a speaker from the Society for Life and Death Education gave the kids a delightful and fascinating talk on the correct ways to show their concern and love for animals. The talk deeply implanted the concept that "furry children are members of the family" in the children's hearts, and the speaker led the kids in pledging to respect animals' lives. The event provided a warm prologue for this touring campus program during the rest of the year.

The "Animal Protection and Rabies Prevention Campus Awareness" program is a cooperative undertaking of the Health Inspection Office and animal protection groups, and seeks to rely on in-school education to instill animal protection knowledge in children's minds. The program uses teaching materials designed for kids ranging from kindergarteners to university students, and takes advantage of morning assemblies or classroom sessions to bring the concept of respect for life into children's lives. The first stop for this year's Animal Protection Campus Awareness train was at Yuemei Elementary School, where a speaker from the Society for Life and Death Education used charming short stories to get the kids to take a serious look at people's relationships with animals, and transmit respect for life and the outlook of "lifelong care and no abandonment." The speaker also told the kids about the requirement of the Animal Protection Act that pets be spayed or neutered, microchipped, and given rabies vaccinations. The students gave their undivided attention to the short 50-minute awareness session, and we look forward to seeing the kids' young hearts blaze with the light of kindness to animals and respect for life in the future. Children who get pets for the first time are often enchanted by their cuteness, and argue who will care for them, but are unaware that the animals will also need care and companionship throughout sickness and old age, and until the end of their lives. This campus awareness program is spreading correct animal protection knowledge via the schools, and helps students understand how to care for and get along with animals. It teaches kids to take the first step—kindness, and encourages them to learn how to be a responsible good owner before they get a pet, which will lessen future cases of inappropriate and inadequate pet care.

　　Education is the foundation of an enlightened society, and is the driving force for social progress and development. The Animal Protection and Rabies Prevention Campus Awareness program targets students from the kindergarten to the university level, and uses different materials and methods to help students in different age groups to absorb animal protection concepts. This program is building the reserves of soft power we need to create a society that is kind to animals. The program's captivating, practical instructional content induces many schools to sign up each year. Since there will only be a limited number of sessions, interested schools are encouraged to seize this opportunity and sign up early!