Junior Farm Rangers: Nurturing children's love for animals, nature

SERDANG - A simple experience such as letting children have a hands-on experience handling animals is adorable, but there is more to it than meets the eye.

From developing empathy and compassion to fostering a sense of responsibility as they learn to care for another living being, the impact of these interactions reached far beyond the surface.

At Farm in The City, children will get to learn various topics about animals and the nature through the Junior Farm Rangers programme.

Launched on Nov 11 for Farm in The City’s 11th anniversary, this program, managed by professionals, let young participants experience life as real rangers.

Mr White, the pink buffalo at Farm in The City.

Farm in The City general-manager and doctor veterinarian Dr Eve Foong said the programme aimed at teaching children through hands-on experiences, setting itself apart by integrating these lessons with direct interaction with animals on the farm.

“What we have uniquely here is that after they learn, we will bring them inside the farm where they will have a hands-on experience with the animals together.

“This is a very holistic approach where a child or even the adults will learn very much about our natural environment and with that we hope that it will culture a sense of love and care towards the natural environment so that they will be compelled to want to protect our environment.

“What makes us different is that we have an education centre to support all of it,” she said.

Dr Foong said the live classroom also included workshops concentrating on the Malaysian culture and tradition.

“We have also introduced batik painting, 'anyaman' as well as traditional kuih-making workshops where participants get to pluck the butterfly pea flowers and pandan leaves from our farm and make the seri muka,” she added.

Snow, the white-bellied sea eagle at Farm in The City.

She also expressed hope that children who participated in the programme could develop a passion for nature, aspiring to become rangers or vets in the future.

Also present during the launching of the programme were Farm in The City chief executive officer Datuk Allan Phoon and Tourism Selangor industry development manager Chua Yee Ling.

For more details about the programme, contact Farm in The City at 016-6883016 or email [email protected].