Getting Kids into Loving Wildlife

 "Is sea turtle different from tortoise?"

 "I think I'd love to keep a gecko at home. Umm, is it allowed?"

 "I'm not afraid of snakes, because my father isn't either."

Those are among the innocent babble filling up an alley at Kampung kreatif Dago Pojok, Bandung, West Java. The kids there cheerfully joined "Love Wildlife" educational activity held by the activists of Protection of Forest & Fauna (PROFAUNA) Indonesia, in collaboration with Taboo-Kampung Kreatif Dago Pojok on 20 December 2014. The tiny hands turned out to be very skillful in creating animal miniatures from clay, while they were engaged in storytelling and sharing experiences about animals.

Rahmat Jabaril, the patron of Kampung Kreatif Dago Pojok, said that this was the first time they get kind of educational program at Taboo Community. Usually the kids are assisted in boosting their creativity by him, the students of the Faculty of Fine Arts & Design of Bandung Institute of Technology, or other fellow artists.

 "The kids are used to be taught about creating stuff by artists from many places, even from other countries, so it's not unusual to see them making paintings, sculptures,  murals, and other forms of art. But this is the first time ever for them to be engaged in art activity while also educated about wildlife," added Jabaril.

The discussion went  compellingly, as some of the kids told their experiences. Widi, for instance, admitted that she feels sorry for the animals at Bandung Zoo. "They are very thin, smelly, and their cages are dirty. It's terrible!"

Kekey, another kid, told her experience of keeping birds as pets. She assumed then, that her family might not be well aware that some of the birds that they keep are protected species.

 "I think my uncle has this one," said her pointing at a picture of cockatoo on a poster on the List of Most-traded Protected Wildlife Species from PROFAUNA.

Unfortunately, the rainy day made the clay dried up slower. It would take 2-3 days before they could paint and decorate the miniatures. They plan to display the miniatures in Dago Pojok Festival, on 27 December 2014.

 "The wildlife-themed art will be exhibited along with the works of other artists. This will surely make the kids proud," claimed Jabaril.

At the end of the discussion, the kids agreed that wildlife are most beautiful in their natural habitats. As a closing, PROFAUNA distribute posters containing the list of most-traded protected wildlife species. They promised to put it on their wall and make sure that their families see it too. Hopefully this small act of awareness would also entice the adults to be more concerned of wildlife protection.