The World Dog Alliance (WDA) met with Hong Kong SAR Legislator Gary Chan Hak-kan on 6 October to discuss the proposal of animal welfare education in Hong Kong.

This proposal was suggested by Genlin, founder of the WDA, in 2020. Genlin is deeply influenced by his father’s motto, “knowledge could change one’s destiny”. Having lived in Hong Kong for several decades, Genlin is heartbroken to witness the prevalence of animal cruelty cases in Hong Kong even with animal-welfare-related legislation. The lack of animal protection education in Hong Kong has led to a lack of animal protection mentality among the public. If knowledge could change one’s destiny, it could also change animals’.

Gary Chan shared Genlin’s views. He invited officials from the Education Bureau to a meeting of the Animal Welfare Committee at the Legislative Council, and introduced WDA’s proposal. WDA later spent two months writing the first draft of animal welfare textbooks, with reference to similar materials worldwide. On 6 October, Gary Chan held a meeting with WDA and education experts to discuss follow-ups, including the amendments on content, writing guidelines for teachers and looking for schools for pilot schemes.

The WDA hopes that animal welfare education can be initiated in Hong Kong soon, so as to educate our next generations the importance of animal protection.