Schools celebrate Animal Awareness Day

St Catherine's High School, Pembroke, and St Clare College's St Bernadette Primary 'B' School, San Ġwann, were among the various schools that recently organised activities to celebrate Animal Awareness Day, which is dedicated to St Francis of Assisi and is aimed at promoting greater care for animals.

At St Catherine's, students prepared for the day by bringing animal food and collecting €365 to donate to Noah's Ark Dog Sanctuary, near Paradise Bay. The students also made charts, badges and other craftwork related to animals. Some looked up animal poems while the more creative made up their own simple verses to recite in class their love for animals.

On the day, a total of 60 pets were enthusiastically welcomed and accommodated in the school grounds where all the school population, from the youngest two-year-olds in the Flutterby child care centre to the oldest senior school students, could visit them.

They played with the pets, held them in their arms and posed questions to the parents accompanying the pets. A few cats and dogs were allowed to visit some classrooms, providing an enjoyable break in the lessons.

Meanwhile at the San Gwann primary, a special assembly was organised for which pupils were encouraged to bring their pets, which included dogs, cats, tortoises, birds and exotic animals. Poems about animals were read and parish priest Fr Effie blessed all the chaildren and animals.

Pepito, a dog that the school adopted three years ago and that currently lives at the Island Animal Sanctuary, Marsascala, was introduced to new Year 4 pupils. The school has also adopted a dolphin called 'Stardance' that lives in the Scottish seas of the Moray Firth.