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For students in Tian'ezhou Primary School, singing "Milu, Coming Home" is a happy way to start the day. The song was inspired by a baby milu named Jiaojiao.
Cai Jiaqi, head of the Publicity and Education Department under Tian'ezhou Milu National Nature Reserve, introduces the story.
"We found an abandoned baby milu that had been washed away by a flood. We named it Jiaojiao because it was found in a place called Jiao Zi Yuan. We raised it and sent it back to the wild when it was two and a half years old. Based on the story, Hubei TV Station made a movie called 'Milu, Coming Home' and the theme song had the same title."
Teaching students to sing the song is not the only part of the education efforts. The school has also opened a class that focuses on the knowledge of milu and how to protect them. Liu Zhifa, principal of Tian'ezhou Primary School, explains the importance of having such a class.
"We want to raise students' awareness of protecting milu and the environment. After opening the class, we seldom hear about incidents of catching and killing wild animals in the region anymore. This is because parents' awareness has been raised as well. When milu run into their farmlands and damage their crops, instead of hurting them, parents know they should contact and communicate with the Reserve first."
The education has certainly paid off. Pan Ling, a fifth-grade student of the school, knows exactly what to do if a milu runs into her home.
"First, we should quiet the milu down. Then, we can contact staff in the Reserve to pick it up."
Another student named Liu Sheng-rong is also a case in point.
"We should let more people know about milu. We can tell our family members and neighbors what we know, and they can tell more people. This way, we all help to raise awareness of protecting milu. We can also install monitors in milu's living area. If someone wants to hurt them, the staff of the Reserve would know."
Teachers have played an essential role in protecting the endangered deer.
Ding Xiangyu with Tian'ezhou Primary School says she often encourages students to talk about their feelings of milu and how to protect the animal after class. She says she wants the children to know no effort is too small.
"Take the school as an example. If students litter, I tell them not to do that because it would contaminate our environment. And if some students' parents cut trees or burn Chinese bellflowers, I would tell them to persuade their parents not to do that, as it leads to air pollution and damages milu's living environment."
Cultivating children's awareness of protecting milu and the environment is also what the Reserve wants to do. Li Pengfei is a senior researcher from the Reserveonce who once studied in Bristol Zoo in Great Britain. He says the most important thing he learned there is that protecting animals should start with the children.
"Over in Bristol Zoo, they paid much attention to cultivate kids' awareness of protecting animals and the environment. I noticed animals there were not afraid of humans, while in our country, it was a different story. No buying, no killing. When I came back to the Reserve, I wanted our kids to know this as well."
Li Pengfei says the Reserve is putting ecotourism on the agenda and plans to invite local children to tell the story of milu to people around the world.
He adds that everyone in the region should shoulder the responsibility of protecting milu and the environment, and that's why Tian'ezhou Milu National Nature Reserve is calling on more like-minded people to join them.
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