To deepen the impact of life education for young children, the Department of Child Care at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) partnered with the Tainan Highest-Good Education Foundation to launch the “Animal Friends of Potter Forest” picture book series. This initiative, rooted in a profound concern for the protection of wildlife, recently culminated in a series of seminars that attracted nearly 235 students, educators, and community members. The events focused on the core philosophy that “every life deserves to be treated with tenderness”, aiming to plant seeds of empathy and conservation in the hearts of future educators and the public.
The featured book series was created by Assistant Professor Pi-Hun Yang of the NPUST Department of Child Care. The four volumes—Momo’s New Home, Pipi’s Adventure, The Brave Le Le, and The Special Liger—are based on real-life rescue stories from the NPUST Pingtung Rescue Center for Endangered Wild Animals (PTRC). The book’s narratives serve as beautiful teaching tools that transform complex conservation issues into relatable stories for children.
During the seminars, experts from the PTRC shared their professional insights. Highlights included lectures by Shun-Jen Cheng on the breeding ecology of local bird species and a moving presentation Ching-Min Sun titled “The Pangolin’s Journey Back to the Mountains”. Additionally, participants engaged in hands-on workshops, crafting leather luggage tags embossed with the books’ five protagonists: Momo the Orangutan, Pipi the Crab-eating Mongoose, Le Le the Tortoise, Biao Biao the Liger, and Captain Potter the Asiatic Black Bear.
The program concluded with a powerful field trip to the Pingtung Rescue Center where the participants witnessing the resilience of animals recovering from human-inflicted injuries. By observing the dedication of the animal keepers and the vulnerability of the wildlife, participants moved beyond theoretical concepts to a practical understanding of the urgency of conservation.
NPUST emphasized that this collaboration demonstrates the university’s commitment to University Social Responsibility (USR). By blending academic expertise with the resources of non-profit organizations, the project has ignited a sense of responsibility in the education community. The university hopes this light of “respect for life and sustainable development” will continue to spread, guiding the next generation to protect our shared environment.
