Published on: 23rd July 2024
Children at RNOH can now learn about the remarkable similarities between humans and animals thanks to the charity, Humanimal Trust.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Humanimal Trust, founded by ground-breaking orthopaedic-neuro veterinary surgeon, Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, presented ten copies of the children’s book, Humanimal, to our Children's Services division.
Authored by Christopher Lloyd and illustrated by Mark Ruffle, Humanimal takes young readers aged seven to 12 on a journey of discovery and appreciation of all the ways animals are just like humans.
Iva Hauptmannova, Research Support Consultant at Humanimal Trust, who worked at RNOH for 14 years as Head of Research, was delighted to go back to the hospital. She said: “RNOH is one of the best orthopaedic hospitals in the world. It treats both adults and children with bone and soft tissue cancers, and it was a pleasure to go back to present copies of the Humanimal book on behalf of Humanimal Trust and in collaboration with What on Earth Books.
"Not only does Humanimal inspire and entertain through its fascinating stories - like the one about bottlenose dolphins wearing sea sponges over their beaks to protect them from sharp coral and rocks - it also contributes to our mission of fostering a deeper understanding of the intrinsic links between all species.
“There is little awareness that many animals also suffer from conditions like sarcoma and osteosarcoma. The excellent work and research being done at the RNOH is helping so many human patients, whilst many veterinary centres are doing incredible work treating their animal patients. Closer working between human and veterinary clinicians is helping to discover new treatments for all patients, regardless of species.”
Humanimal Trust drives collaboration between vets, doctors and researchers so that all humans and animals can benefit from sustainable and equal medical progress at the same time, but not at the expense of an animal’s life. This is One Medicine.
Zoe Keates, Play Specialist at RNOH, said: "I was delighted to receive a box of books to be used on the ward for our children. The book called Humanimal is a beautifully designed book explaining how animals are very similar to humans. The book explains how creatures and animals exhibit similar behaviours to us. For example it describes how animals play just like us, work in teams and they have natural instincts and feelings. The book is aimed at children up to the age of 10 and we hope in the future that there will be another book designed for teenagers too. We can’t wait to see what our children think about the book."