AMRRIC’s education program, Dog Mob Cat Crew, are hosting a school education project in a remote Indigenous school in the Northern Territory for Science Week 2024. The event focuses on the roles companion animal pet owners have in keeping native and ecologically important species alive in the Northern Territory.

The education program will involve students in the learning and knowledge behind the connections between human, animal, and environmental health, and the individual actions pet owners can take to improve One Health outcomes for remote communities in the Northern Territory.  

The school-based program will deliver education sessions for primary and secondary classes to explore the critical and native species specific to the remote area, demonstrate the many and intricate linkages between companion animals and native species. The sessions will emphasise the impact and significance that scientifically-informed, everyday responsible pet ownership has on the survival of some of Australia’s most important species. Students will learn about how responsible pet ownership impacts the well-being of communities and Country, both now and in the future.

Students will gain an understanding of the status and importance of native species in Australia; the inextricable links between companion animals, native species, and communities; and the crucial role pet owners have to play in ensuring the survival and protection of native species in remote communities.