During December, members of our Roots & Shoots team and JGIA Board of Directors attended the 10th Asia for Animals Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal. Under the theme of “Changing Human Behaviour”, it was an extraordinary four days of conference followed by a tour of Chitwan National Park and Tiger Tops elephant camp.
Hosted by our friends, JGI Nepal, on the first day of the conference more than 500 scientists, activists and advocates came together for a stunning opening ceremony followed by keynotes from Matthieu Ricard, Khenpo Chonyi Rangdrol, Suzanne Rogers, Dr Hemanta Raj Mishra, Harry Ekman and Mark Earls; setting the scene perfectly for the days ahead. What followed was three deep-dive days into streams of Animals for Companions, Animals for Trade and Animals for Work where experts from around the world shared case studies on changing human behaviour. In addition to informative seminars, organisers ran workshops and wellness classes such as singing bowl, yoga, meditation and more to help combat compassion fatigue.
The conference was the flagship programme of the Asia for Animals Coalition, featuring 19 of the world’s leading animal protection organisations, including JGI, which have a shared focus on improving the welfare of animals in Asia.
