Tails for Taal: bringing animal-assisted services to the community

On January 12, 2020, Taal Volcano had a phreatic eruption, causing severe damage and casualties. As advocates of “mutual healing” and “stewardship”, Communitails organized a post-disaster animal-assisted activity (AAA) called the "Tails for Taal" for 103 Grade Six students of Subic Elementary School located in Agoncillo, Batangas.

The AAA was divided into 5 batches, with each of the 5 Human-Animal Teams accommodating 4 to 5 students for 10-12 minutes per batch. Results showed increased energy and participation among the students.

Previous studies suggest that the AAA may have improved the students’ ability to express and interact with others, as animals have intrinsic qualities that help “catalyze” social interactions. The AAA also alleviated the students’ traumatic stress from the eruption and helped foster a newfound compassion for human-animal bonds.