Yong ’27 partners up with a local no profit to raise awareness of abandoned pets in Shanghai.
I grew up in Shanghai, China, a large city with a population of 30 million people. In 2020, struck by COVID-19, many people were forced to give up their pets because they were unable to maintain their dogs or cats at home due to various factors, including financial constraints, geographic mobility, the birth of pups, and other circumstances. Despite the increasing number of pet adoption rescue and fostering centers, stray animal protection organizations, and TNR public service spay and neuter vans, public awareness of this social issue is still limited. Therefore, this summer, I am urgently appealing for people to take better care of stray animals, not give up on their pets, and provide a cozy and welcoming environment for little animals to dwell in.
I will achieve this by collaborating with a local non-profit organization, TA Shanghai, a platform for stray animal rescues that I have been involved with since 6th grade along with my sister. This summer, I will use my photographic abilities to the fullest. Together with the volunteers, I will use my camera to document how they assist the stray animals, transport them to adoption and rescue centers, and what preparations are required along the way. I will create educational videos for their social media account, educating citizens on how they can help save abandoned pets. I will be involved in every facet of TA Shanghai’s efforts to rescue stray animals, including updating their social media pages and taking as many pictures as possible to showcase their efforts to the public, allowing more people to witness the dedication and care the volunteers give to the animals.
To create these videos, I have used the grant money to purchase video filming supplies such as tripods. So far, I have already gotten in touch with a few volunteers at TA Shanghai and have participated in some of their activities aimed at promoting awareness for abandoned animals. I am also in the editing stage for my first video for TA Shanghai.
