MANILA (UPDATED) – Malabon Zoo Founder Manny Tangco celebrated World Wildlife Day on Sunday by raising awareness on wildlife protection.

Tangco emphasized the importance of caring for wildlife due to its significant contribution to human life.

“Araw-araw dependent tayo sa wildlife po, buhat sa wildlife dyan nanggagaling ang ating food, clothing, shelter, oxygen, gamot, at fuel – even fuel po comes from wildlife,” he said.

The celebration kicked off with children and local visitors feeding animals in the zoo.

According to Tangco, children need to be exposed to living nature by giving them firsthand nature experiences like visiting local zoos.

“One of the best ways to learn is through experiential learning… experiential learning po supports classroom teaching, mayroong theoretical, mayroong actual,” he said, noting that this would help in children’s wildlife stewardship upbringing.

World Wildlife Day is celebrated annually on March 3 to highlight the unique roles of wildlife on the planet and its increasing importance to future generations.