Text by: 牛大力
Eng by: Romance
Photo by: Fig/受訪者
動物天使 - 柳俊江
近來在愛護動物協會(SPCA)的活動上，看見一位熟口熟面的型男，他抱?小狗的表情充滿愛心，令人感到既親切又友善。看清楚，發現他便是前主播柳俊江(Ryan)，原來他加入了愛護動物協會，出任SPCA外展事務總監，負責把愛護動物的訊息傳遞到中國和澳門，由主播變身成為動物天使。
過去、現在、未來
由於Ryan童年時住在公屋，所以未曾飼養過寵物。後來他的女朋友飼養了一隻八哥女，他才有機會較深入地接觸狗隻，初嘗當主人的滋味。Ryan和女友也是廿四孝主人，因為沒有足夠的經驗和知識，給牠太多各式各樣的美食，以致他體重十分驚人，當時肥嘟嘟的牠約有二十七磅，更早在五歲患上了心臟病。受過教訓的Ryan，發現原來愛狗是很有學問的，不能過份溺愛，盲目聽從牠的「意願」，不可以牠想吃就給牠吃。現在的Ryan已經是一位「改良版」的主人，已懂得管理狗狗的飲食和生活了。加入了愛護動物協會之後，他便有更多機會接觸動物，更正以往飼養寵物的謬誤，例如主人不應把自己的狗狗過份「人性化」，其實牠們的需要很簡單，就是主人的關心和愛護。主人應盡量抽時間帶牠去散步，牠的身心便會更加快樂和健康。在愛護動物協會工作，Ryan天天也在學習和累積飼養寵物的知識，相信不久的將來，他便可以成為「超強版」的主人了。
大難不死，必有後福
Bosco是Ryan在寵物店遇上的幸運兒，牠也是一隻八哥犬，生得精靈可愛，令Ryan一見鍾情，於是便帶了牠回家。誰料兩天後，牠肚?得很嚴重，原來患了狗瘟，差點兒病死，幸好獸醫把牠救回。經過他和太太的悉心照料後，Bosco終於逃過大難，開開心心地與Ryan一起生活。自此，Ryan便很關心Bosco的健康，閒時會閱讀一些飼養狗隻的資料，了解牠們的生理及心理的健康，希望自己能成為一位好主人。Bosco也很懂性，知道主人疼錫自己，用「乖」來回應主人，做一隻不給主人麻煩的好狗。Bosco如此乖巧，令Ryan對狗隻產生了一份濃厚的感情。更難得的是Bosco不會亂叫亂吠，是一隻既文靜又優雅的狗狗，牠平時喜愛聽音樂，尤其喜歡優美的豎琴聲，認真識嘆。加上八哥面部的表情特別多，聽音樂的模樣，十分惹笑。最近牠更模仿Ryan的太太彈琴，自己跳上去演奏一曲，雖然未能令大家聽出耳油，但也逗得大家哈哈大笑。
工作使命感
其實，Ryan早在當主播時，已有機會接觸到一些有關動物的報導，對牠們生存的權利倍感關心，例如中國東北製造皮草的情況，便令他為對虐待動物相當反感，萌起一顆正義的心，為小動物抱不平。他更在中國各地看到不少令他傷感的事情，例如他在汕頭看見人家吃狗肉的情況，令他心裏很不舒服。他又在湛江親眼看到「白切狗」，倒吊在當眼處，非常可怕。加上自從Ryan飼養狗隻後，深深明白到牠們和人類一樣有喜、怒、哀、樂，或會感覺到痛苦。他實在希望為中國的動物「同胞」出一分力，在祖國宣傳愛護動物的訊息。從前他的工作雖然讓他有機會到處去增廣見聞(富有挑戰性)，但工作性質比較被動；相反，在愛護動物協會工作，他的角色比較主動。最令他感到興奮的是，他能為社會「最弱勢」的社群服務，為動物發聲，主動發起和策劃各項活動。Ryan很享受現在的工作，因為他確信自己每天也在做好事。
教育新一代
香港愛護動物協會很注重教育的工作，針對中小學生，編製了「關懷動物教室」作為教材，與老師攜手合作，進行各式各類的活動，把愛護動物的訊息帶進學校，培育學生對動物的正面價值觀。SPCA更積極把愛護動物的教育工作推廣至中國，與當地的機構合作，又派人員到當地為老師做培訓，推出仁愛教育教科書，免費派發到各間中小學。Ryan說在香港的教材是一頁頁地印給學生，而在內地的教材是整本送給學生的，目的是希望吸引他們父母，兩代一起學習，提升對動物的愛護意識。
目前，在福建的教育工作已經開展了一年，舉辦的暑期訓練營也很順利，下一個展開教育工作的地方會是蘇州。Ryan期望能更多當地的機構參與和合作，發起更多的活動和計畫讓學生參與。此外，SPCA亦積極在中國進行其他方面的工作，例如2008年地震後救援流浪小動物、舉辦獸醫交流會和協助中國建立動物保護法等，每一項計劃及活動也十分有意義。
面對中國十三億人口，宣傳愛護動物的工作談何容易，但看到Ryan對工作的熱誠和信心，也會為他打氣，希望能盡快把愛護動物的聲音，傳遍中國每一個角落。
Ryan Lau, an angel for animals
I came across a familiar figure in an event of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). This nice and friendly person who was holding a puppy lovingly turned out to be Ryan Lau, the former anchor. Ryan joined SPCA as the China Outreach Director, he becomes an angel for animals and spreads the animal protection message in Mainland and Macau.
The past, the present and the future
Ryan did not keep any pets in his childhood as he lives in public estates which dog keeping is not allowed. He became a dog keeper later on when his girlfriend kept a female pug. Ryan and his girlfriend are very dutiful but lack of dog keeping experience and knowledge, they gave their dog excessive amount of food. The dog is obese, it weighted about 27 pounds and suffered from heart disease at 5 years old. Ryan learnt a lesson; he understood that he should not spoil his pet and blindly give it what it wants to eat. Ryan is now an advanced pet keeper and knows how to manage dog’s diet and lifestyle. After he joined SPCA, he has more opportunities to get on with animals and corrects his own misconceptions in pet keeping. He learnt that, for instance, pet keepers should not impose undue humanity on pets because what pets really need is pretty simple, it is the love of their keepers. Keepers should spend time to walk them, so they will be healthier. Ryan is accumulating pet keeping knowledge every day in SPCA, he will definitely become an encyclopedic pet keeper.
Blessings come along with survival
Bosco is a lovely and lucky pug which Ryan met in a pet shop and fell in love with at the first sight, but it had serious diarrhea due to dog distemper two days after Ryan brought it home. Fortunately, Bosco was rescued by a vet from the fatal disease, it survived and lives happily with Ryan and his wife under their utmost care. Ryan has paid great attention to Bosco’s health since then, he reads dog keeping materials in his leisure time, learns about dog’s physical and psychological health, so as to make himself a good dog keeper. Bosco is sensible and docile; it seldom gives trouble to the Lau’s, so Ryan built up great affection for dogs. Bosco is a quiet and elegant, it loves music and particular fancy to the music of harp. Pugs have rich facial expression, so Bosco looks funny when it listens to music. Recently, Bosco imitates how Ryan’s wife plays piano; it plays music on the keyboard and makes the audience laugh.
The mission in Ryan’s work
Ryan had chances to cover stories related to animals back in the time he was an anchor and was concerned to the issue of animals’survival rights. Disgusted with the furs manufacture in the north east China, his resentment against animal abuse and sense of justice is situmlated. He witnessed many terrible situations all over Mainland, such as dog-eating in Shantou and cooked dogs being hanged for sale at Zhanjiang, he felt extremely bad. After Ryan became a dog keeper, he understood that dogs feel happy, sad, sorrow and pain just like humans do, so he would like to help the animals in Mainland and spread the animal protection message there. His current position in SPCA is an active role, he could work for the “disadvantaged” in the society, speak for animals and take initiatives to organize events. Ryan enjoys his work very much as he knew that he is doing good deeds every single day.
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Educate the next generation
SPCA places importance on education, they produced Humane
Education teaching materials for primary and secondary
school students in Hong Kong, they partner with school teachers
to carry out various activities to spread the animal protection
message in campus and cultivates positive values regarding
animals treatment. SPCA also launched their education work in
China with the partnership in local organizations, they mobilize
staff to train local teachers, produce and deliver free teaching
materials to local schools. Ryan revealed that, the whole
material package is given to students in Mainland whilst
materials are printed and provided page by page to students in
Hong Kong. The practice in Mainland is to attract parents to
learn with their children, so as to enhance their awareness of
animal protection.
The education work in Fujian has been started for a year, the
summer training camp was successful and SPCA’s next targeted
destination is Suzhou. Ryan is expecting more partnership and
participation of local organizations. He wishes to organize more
activities and events for students. In addition, SPCA is
actively working out other meaningful plans in Mainland, such as
rescue homeless animals after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, hold
veterans conferences and assist China in establishing Animal
Protection Law.
Promoting animal protection is not an easy task
in China, a country with a population over 1.3 billion, but Ryan
is devoted and confident in carrying out his mission. We support
Ryan and hope that the message of animal protection could reach
each and every corner of Mainland as soon as possible.
