“They are homeless” – a feature story on abandoned animals

• Story Genre and Theme

Did you know that in Australia more than 200,000 animals are surrendered to shelters each year? In recent years, with the rise of people’s living costs and the pressure of renting houses, the number of abandoned pets has gradually increased. Every fresh life is facing euthanasia or staying in overloaded animal shelters for a long time. The current situation of unwanted animals and the excess demand for animal shelters deserve more attention.

Using this as a starting point, I want to write a feature story about abandoned animals. By using data and interviews to show the current situation of the survival of stray animals, the difficulties faced by animal shelters, and to seek further solutions to the problem. Call on the public to respect the lives of pets through reports, pay attention to stray animals, adopt pets instead of buyouts, and actively contribute to related organizations.

• Publications and target user groups

This story will be published on ABC News.

As one of the countries with the highest pet ownership rates in the world, the issue of animal homelessness is not a state issue – it requires the attention of the entire Australian population. As the news department of the Australian Public Broadcasting Corporation, ABC News has extensive influence and a good reputation in the Australian news industry, and is one of the important sources for the Australian public to obtain news information. Releasing this news here will help raise public awareness of stray animals.

Secondly, this story will focus on abandoned pets, so the target audience is primarily people with experience of owning pets. According to a report on pet ownership in Australia by the Australian Animal Medicines Manufacturers Association, pet ownership is more common among people under the age of 65, and people under the age of 25 or between 45 and 54 are more likely to be pet owners. 90% of ABC News viewers are under the age of 65, which is a perfect fit for the target audience of this story.

• Information source

I will be interviewing Karen Kalpage, a staff member at Sydney Dogs & Cats Home, an animal shelter in Sydney. Ask them about the current situation at the shelter and with stray pets, the difficulties they encounter and more.

Contact: karenk@sydneydogsandcatshome.org

I will also be contacting the people at The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals New South Wales (RSPCA NSW) to ask for solutions, advice and ideas on related issues.

Contact: media@rspcansw.org.au

In addition I will obtain authoritative information from the internet, including relevant websites, policies, documents and data relating to pet adoption (some of which are hyperlinked in the article).

• About multimedia, hypertext and interactivity

Videos, images and hyperlinks will be used in this feature story. I will use the video to show the real situation in the animal shelter, ideally accompanied by a background monologue or an interview with the animal shelter staff. 2-3 pictures will be used as a more vivid explanation of the subject of the news paragraph. Authoritative data and information will be attached to the article in the form of hyperlinks.