CityUHK veterinary students promote animal welfare with self‑designed "Dr Horse" stall at Victoria Park Lunar New Year Fair
As the Year of the Horse approaches, a group of students from the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) programme at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) have unleashed their unlimited creativity by designing a wide range of merchandise with the theme of Year of the Horse. For the first time, they are running a stall “Dr Horse” at the 2026 Lunar New Year Fair in Victoria Park, bringing joy to visitors while donating 5% of proceeds to the CityUHK Veterinary Community Outreach Programme, encouraging the public to enjoy the festive season while keeping animal welfare in mind.
The CityUHK BVM students began preparing for their Lunar New Year stall as early as last October. From bidding for the stall space, designing the products, to all promotional work, everything was managed entirely by the students themselves. Bernard Lau Pak-lok, a second-year BVM student explained that, beyond strengthening friendship among classmates, the most important goal of organising the stall was to promote animal welfare to the general public.
“We hope that by setting up at Victoria Park, the largest Lunar New Year fair, we can reach the greatest number of citizens and spread the message of animal welfare,” Bernard said. “We also hope that the stall run by our BVM students will become an annual tradition, fostering friendship and bringing joy to everyone together.”
All products were designed by the students. In addition to red packet envelopes featuring auspicious phrases, wishing everyone can enjoy sound health and very good luck in the new year, as well as keychains featuring various animal designs and a range of horse-themed products inspired by the students’ own internship experiences working with horses, the stall also offered merchandise centred on the Jersey cows from the CityUHK Farm, including cushions featuring student-designed paintings of the cows. Furthermore, the stall featured an interactive customisation area where students designed and hand-drew animal watercolour illustrations on-site. Customers could select a design for wooden keychains or coasters, which the students then immediately engraved onto the wood using laser technology, creating a lively and highly engaging atmosphere.
The stall attracted a constant stream of visitors, with many people stopping by to show support. The students enthusiastically introduced their products to the public. On the second day after the fair officially opened, Professor Michael Ngai, Chairman of the CityUHK Council, together with several Legislative Council members, visited the stall to show their support. They cheered on the CityUHK students, exchanged thoughts with them, purchased a variety of products, and joined the festive crowds in celebrating Lunar New Year.
5% of the proceeds from “Dr Horse” will be donated to the CityUHK Veterinary Community Outreach Programme. Beyond celebrating the festive season with the community, the students hope to play a role in educating the public about animal welfare and supporting animals in less-fortunate circumstances. The programme operates in a unique way that it supports remote areas, underprivileged communities, visually impaired persons, the elderly, and people with special needs by providing pet care education and offering low-cost health check-ups for pets and working dogs. At the same time, it provides comprehensive hands-on training opportunities for the next generation of Hong Kong veterinarians. The ultimate goal of the programme is to improve animal quality of life through sustained community engagement and academic research, while addressing issues related to animal health and welfare.
Run by students from CityUHK’s Veterinary Medicine programme, “Dr Horse” will be in Victoria Park during the 2026 Lunar New Year Fair, from 11 to 16 February, welcoming visitors to celebrate the Lunar New Year together.
