1. Picture goes here with 4pt white border World Animal Day

2. Humans have lived alongside animals for hundreds of thousands of years. Over the years we have domesticated animals that have some use to us:

3. We have also ‘tamed’ other animals. These animals still have wild instincts and were unsuitable for domestication or simply could not be domesticated. They have lost some of their natural fear or mistrust of humans. Which other animals have humans ‘tamed’?

4. The animals we have domesticated have proven to be very useful over the years and we use them now for a variety of different reasons. Can you think why we might use these animals? Rats Bomb- detection Camels Transporting people and goods Cattle Ploughing, meat and milk

5. Over years we have developed different uses for animals, dogs were used for guarding but now, for example, they can detect many items and also work as assistance dogs. We no longer rely on animals to move around or to provide us with an income.

6. In many countries though, they still heavily rely on working animals. Without them they would not be able to travel to work, to buy or sell food or go to a doctor.

7. Without them they would not be able to earn an income from farming, sell goods at a market or fetch clean water.

8. People also rely on working animals in industries such as tourism.

9. Animals can provide people with a lifeline. They rely on them to provide transport, to provide them with food and also simply for companionship. There has been a special day made to celebrate animals and our relationship with them. It is held on October the 4 th and is called ‘World Animal Day’.

10. In celebration of this day SPANA is holding a competition. Now before we explain the competition we should probably tell you who ‘SPANA’ are first! S P AN A Society for the Protection of ANimals Abroad

11. Working animals provide a vital service to their owners, but their owners have hardly any money to provide for themselves. If the animal gets injured or sick then they cannot afford to go to a vet. That’s where SPANA comes in. We help provide free veterinary treatment and help teach owners how to prevent and treat some injuries and diseases.

12. We also help educate owners about harmful traditional practices that can lead to infections and even the death of the animal. Training is provided for local vets and veterinary students. We are there in times of emergencies such as drought. We have provided emergency feeding programmes to ensure essential livestock has enough food to survive.

13. Educating the next generation of animal owners is vital. We work with schools to run animal clubs and also offer lessons at some of our veterinary clinics. There are also mobile buses that travel the country with interactive, informative animal displays. Children are excited to learn about animals but sadly lack even basic equipment such as pencils, paper and books.

14. And that’s where you and World Animal Day come in! We’d like you to write a short story for children aged 8 with the title ‘How the donkey saved my family’. Donkeys are often mistreated and misunderstood so we’d love to hear a positive story about them! The story should be no more than 500 words. It should be set in one of our countries which runs an education programme; Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco or Tunisia. See our website for country information. We will be translating the book in to the local language. The winning book will be used in our Education programmes.

15. You will receive a copy of the book, some photographs of it being used and a personalised video message from the country it is being used in. If you are taking part as a school or group then the adult organising it will pick three winning stories and three runners up. Individual entries can be sent by email to education@spana.org Once you’ve entered tell all your friends about it! Use the link on our webpage to tweet your entry or update your status on Facebook.

16. Entries need to be in by 31 st October. To find out more go to : www.spana.org Good luck and happy World Animal Day!