Bring on the heroes

I have become a graphic novel fan. I have Igan D’Bayan and Erwin Romulo, my graphic novel advisers, to thank for that.

Yes, I am one of those who used to think that graphic novels were for kids and as a mature adult I should only read “real” books and not picture books.

No longer.

“You should read Animal Man by Grant Morrison,” said Erwin.

“Is it about pets?,” I ask.

“Sort of,” he said. “Animal is a superhero who draws his strength from animals. He is also vegetarian because he believes that no one should eat animals.”

I was hooked on Animal Man after the first few pages of the first book.

I really like how Animal is so human — he lives with his wife and two kids — and so humane, he cares for the animals as much as he cares for his family.

In the second book Origin Of The Species Animal even battles the people who kill dolphins and whales for fun.

Animal Man is my superhero.

* * *

One of my other heroes when it comes to creating a more humane society is the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). Yes, yes, there are many other animal welfare groups in the country, but PAWS, under the leadership of its president Nita Lichauco, has been fighting for the animals in this country for the longest time.

Matter of fact, PAWS is often invited to conferences here and out of the country to talk about the work they have been doing for animal welfare.

Just recently Anna Cabrera, director of PAWS, attended a workshop on animal welfare, which was organized by The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) in Laos.

One of the guest speakers of the conference was Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Dr. Segafredo Serrano.

The conference was organized to help promote improved animal welfare in South East Asia.  Other speakers were New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry director of Animal Welfare David Bayvel; senior advisor animal welfare Joanna Tuckwell, and Indonesian Veterinary Medical Association president Dr. Wiwiek Bagja.

 “Dr. Serrano did the country proud,” said Anna, who was one of the 45 delegates to the conference. “Doc. Fred underscored the importance of adopting the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW), not just for its perceived economic benefits, but because — ‘it is the right thing to do’,”added Anna.  

The Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) is an agreement among people and nations to promote a greater recognition of animal welfare as this produces benefits for animals, people and the environment.

Anna quoted a part of the speech of Serrano that she told me was very inspiring.

“Looking after animals helps farmers provide food for themselves, their families and their communities; good animal care reduces the risk of disease transmissible to humans;  responsible animal management affects land use, climate change, pollution, water supplies, habitat conservation and biodiversity for the better; and most importantly, people’s attitudes and behavior toward animals overlap with their attitudes and behavior toward each other.”

Anna also shared with me that Serrano is an avid birdwatcher and bird photographer. He speaks passionately about protecting Philippine wildlife and their habitat. “After the convention at Laos, he took time to snap some nature photos and I caught a picture of him trying to bond with a dog of a shop keeper. He and his family are big dog lovers,” she said.

 Laos has recently introduced a new veterinary law and appointed a dedicated person to oversee government policies relating to animal welfare. The government of Indonesia is establishing a National Committee on Animal Welfare to develop animal welfare education. Thailand’s National Committee on Animal Welfare has developed a five-year national strategic plan and the Thai Veterinary Association has set up a working group on animal welfare. The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture has recently published a guideline on good animal husbandry and is developing a national animal welfare strategy. Cambodia has plans to advance national animal welfare legislation based on the OIE’s Asia-Pacific Animal Welfare Strategy.

Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines and, most recently, Indonesia have already announced their support for the UDAW.

The workshop was chaired by Dr. Bounkhouang Khambounheuang, director general, department of livestock and fisheries in Laos, and co-chaired by Dr Ahmad Suhami bin Omar, deputy director general of the department of livestock, Malaysia. Delegates included senior government officials from other countries like Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam as well as representatives from the ASEAN secretariat.

* * *

Every summer, Regine Tolentino holds a dance workshop for kids that hones their dancing talents and does wonders to the kids’ self-confidence.

The good news is that Regine donates the proceeds of the workshops to her favorite charities — PAWS among them, of course.

The actress, her husband Lander Vera-Perez and their kids are all animal lovers. This is the second year that Regine chose PAWS as one of the beneficiaries of her Ultimate Summer Dance Workshop.

Gwen Protasio, PAWS director, received the check donation in behalf of PAWS. “We would like to extend our thanks to Regine and her family for always supporting the animal shelter. They know how hard the PAWS shelter has to struggle to cover its monthly operational costs — which is not covered by grants from any international animal welfare organization or subsidized by any private company or government institution,” said Protasio. “The PAWS Animal Rehabilitation Center is solely dependent on donations and proceeds from fundraising events.”

PAWS humane education team was invited to demonstrate “How to meet a dog safely”.

PAWS volunteers May Felix, Kristin Ty and “Professor Dog” Cash, a Golden Retriever, were there to demonstrate the following steps:

1. Ask the owner if the dog is friendly and if you may touch the dog.

2. Approach a dog slowly with the back of the hand extended.

3. Allow the dog to sniff the back of your hand.

4. Once the dog has completed the sniff, stroke the dog gently on the chest or under the chin (Do not immediately pat the dog on top of the head!)

Kids were informed that most cases of dog bites involved children under the age of 14 years old — not because the dogs were aggressive but because they did not know how to approach a dog. 

If a loose dog threatens them by growling, the kids are advised to avoid eye contact, back away slowly and not to run.

Still, Professor Cash was every inch the picture of a cute and friendly dog. Kids eagerly volunteered to participate in the ”how-to-meet-a-dog” demonstration just to get a chance to touch him and say “hello” to him.

The PAWS Humane Education Team can give free lectures to school children or barangays. Requests may be e-mailed to philpaws@yahoo.com.