Debrecen4U September 24, 2025

Students in Debrecen are taught responsible animal ownership 

This year, the animal protection week has been announced again. Last year, more than 315 thousand children nationwide participated in programs to raise awareness and shape attitudes about responsible animal husbandry, and the organizers expect at least as much interest this year. On Tuesday, an animal protection-focused program was held for teachers at the Lorántffy Zsuzsanna Elementary School in Józsa.

Pets should not only be loved and cared for while they are new to the household, but for the rest of their lives – this is one of the messages conveyed to children during Animal Protection Week, which has been held nationwide since 2022. The themed week is extremely popular: students at Lorántffy School, for example, enjoyed the programs so much in previous years that they started their own animal welfare club.

The children really like it, the animal protection club was started on their initiative, and for the second year now, so many children have registered that we can include it as an independent club, in the division of subjects, so we can also deal with animal protection within an institutional framework – highlighted Ildikó Cziffra, director of the Lorántffy Zsuzsanna Primary School in Debrecen.

The essence of the initiative is to teach students through play about responsible animal husbandry, and to convey values ​​such as respect, empathy or a sense of duty.

Last year, more than 315 thousand children were registered by their teachers for the program series, and this year the organizers expect an even larger number.

“Last year, we attracted more than 315 thousand children, and this year we hope to have more than 350 thousand registrations. We would like as many children as possible to know that the concept of responsible animal husbandry exists, and we want to convey this to them through educational materials and experience programs,” said Hedvig Koska, national project manager of the Animal Protection Theme Week.

In Debrecen, numerous schools and civil organizations have already joined the animal protection theme week, offering attitude-shaping and educational presentations and interactive programs, while the zoo welcomes school and kindergarten groups with special discounts. The goal is always the same: commitment and awareness in the field of animal husbandry.

“The animal protection theme week is also an important moment and a very important step towards what is also a very important goal of the city of Debrecen: to create a community and a city that is even more committed to animal protection,” pointed out Edina Szilágyi, animal protection officer.

This year’s Animal Protection Week programs for children will be held nationwide between September 29 and October 12.

Source and photo credit:dehir.hu