introduction
Who are we?
We are a group of Nanyang Polytechnic students involved in a project to increase awareness on animal cruelty and support wildlife conservation. Our target is to inform people about the importance of treating animals right, paying special attention to endangered animals.
What do we do?
We plan to educate both the young and adults on the importance of saving endangered species in wildlife through engaging activities that are enriching & fun. We have carried out classroom activities with toddlers to demonstrate to parents on how they can help by educating their kids on saving wildlife!
Why save wildlife?
Our ecosystem are actually interdependent. By saving wildlife, we are not only saving endangered animals from getting extinct, but we are also reducing the effects of climate change which can save the world from mass extinction!
our project
Classroom Project
Introduction
In an effort to spread awareness on wildlife conservation, we worked with Kampung Senang Wholechild Nurture Centre to teach the students more about wildlife through interactive activities. A series of activities were carried out to ensure the students’ understanding about saving wildlife.
Introduction to Endangered Animals
We introduced them to 6 different species of endangered animals – gorilla, tiger, shark, panda, grizzly bear and elephant - and explained to them why they were endangered and what we can do to save them. We made it age-appropriate by using pictures to explain, and interactive by asking the students to voice out their ideas on how to save wildlife.
Charades and Pictionary
Firstly, we carried out a game of charades. Students will come to the front to act out the animals given to them, while the others were to guess what animal was acted out. Secondly, they played Pictionary, whereby students had to draw a given animal and get the rest to guess what animal was drawn. We introduced this game to familiarize the students with the endangered animals.
Creative Drawing
The students were given drawing blocks and were asked to draw any kind of endangered species of their choice. This activity is to allow them to express their creativity.
Where Do I Live?
We prepared pictures of wildlife creatures and their habitats – forest, desert, ocean, arctic, safari/grassland. The students were then given pictures of different animals and were asked to identify which habitat they belong to. This was carried out to introduce them to the different habitats and to also allow them to develop an understanding that most animals cannot adapt to environment that is out of their habitat.
Who Am I?
We carried out a guessing game whereby students had to identify the ‘unknown’ animals through hints given by us. Hints such as the animal’s habitat, diet, sound and class were given in order to help the students guess what the animal is. Through this game, students are not only familiarized with the animals’ habitats but also what they eat and which class they belong to.
Mix & Match
We laid out different pictures of animals and their diet faced down and students had to pick and choose the animal and its right diet. For every wrong animal and diet that they had matched, the picture has to be turned faced down again and the game proceeds as before. The game ends when all the animals are matched to their diet correctly. This game was carried out to educate students about the importance of the animals’ diet and how each different animal has a different diet. This was also to educate them about the food chain and how the animals’ diet could only be found in their habitat. The importance of this relationship was very well understood by the students.
your contribution
The Dos & Don'ts!
Every effort, big or small, counts in saving our endangered wildlife. Hence here are some dos and don’ts that will help this cause:• Do not keep wild animals as pets
• Do not think that wild animal parts have medicinal value; there are other alternatives
• Do not hurt any wildlife or protected species
• Protect the environment = protect the inhabitants
• Be a volunteer and lend a hand to our wildlife
Do you know that...
Some of the everyday products that you use have been animal-tested! Animals such as mice, cats, rabbits and even monkeys are being ill-treated for product testing purposes. Check out the pictures below!
You can help by boycotting products from the brands listed below:
- Johnson & Johnson
- L’Oréal U.S.A.
- Clorox
- Olay Co./Oil of Olay
- Pantene
For more CLICK HERE.
On the brighter note, here are lists of brands that are strongly against animal testing:
- Bobbi Brown
- The Body Shop
- e.l.f. Cosmetics
- Estée Lauder
For more CLICK HERE.
more information
Know more about them!
Grizzly Bears
Grizzly bears are under threat due to a myriad of reasons some of which include unregulated hunting, habitat deterioration and are also killed due to the misconception that grizzlies threaten human life. They can be helped by raising awareness among the public and the misconceptions about them should also be addressed. The truth of the matter is that we are intruders in their habitat.
Gorillas
Two main issues resulting in the decrease of gorillas in the wild are poaching and the increasing loss of habitat. Gorillas are one the animals that are involved in the illegal wildlife trade. They are tortured in the process of the trade such as being kept in small and cramped cages, deprived of food and water. The Gorillas are also killed for their meat, referred to as "bush meat" this is illegal, and yet still they are butchered on site, making capturing the guilty highly improbable. Their parts are also sold off in the black market. Deforestation also contributes to the decline in their population as they are very dependant on trees for food and shelter. If the demand stops, the killing can to!
Tigers
Tigers are being poached for their skin and body parts such as claws, teeth, paws, whiskers and tail. Their skin used for clothing, claws, teeth and whiskers as an object of good luck and possess ‘protective powers’ and various other body parts are sold as traditional Chinese medicine. Thanks to the advancement in science, alternatives for using tigers’ body parts as medicine have been found. However the illegal poaching still exists due to the demand received from wealthy, growing population.
Shark
Ever had shark’s fin soup? That’s right shark’s fin soup, as the name suggest, derives from the sharks’ fins. Their fins are considered valuable as the demand in the market is high. When these sharks are stripped off their fins, they are thrown back into the ocean, finless. This is cruel because the sharks are obviously handicapped and because they cannot swim, they will just die. What we can do to protect them is to not view animal meat as a delicacy.
Elephants
Elephants are being poached for their tusks which are sold off in the ivory trade. Ivory is used to make jewelry and carvings and other decorative works such as piano keys. Due to the high value in ivory, poacher s continue to hunt for elephants. Elephant are also threatened due to loss in habitat. Although they are not yet endangered, the population is vulnerable. We could do our part by not purchasing products that are made of ivory.
Panda Bears
One of the main issues contributing to endangered panda bears is habitat loss. Their habitats are cleared to make room for human development. However, efforts like breeding pandas in captivity are being carried out today to revive the panda population. But because pandas rarely mate and produce a litter of only one, it may take some time before the pandas are safely in the clear.
extras
Enquiries
You may ask questions or leave a comment (: