If you haven’t heard, Mohd Syukur Khamis is the name of the boy from Terengganu whose pictures recently went viral. The pictures of him happily playing with his farm animals were taken by photographer Mohd Nazri Sulaiman where one of the shots just won the top prize in an annual competition by Singapore-based magazine Asian Geographic.
However, the young boy’s journey to fame doesn’t end there.
According to Siakap Keli, Syukur has just won the award for Best Student in Kuala Terengganu. The 14-year-old student from SMK Padang Midin was awarded the title in front of 1,500 other students by Kuala Terengganu’s Education Officer, Jelani Sulong. Syukur said,
“I would like to thank the school for this award and I hope that my teachers and friends would celebrate with me too.”
“I am extremely proud that the pictures went viral. My friends would often ask me how I can interact with the animals so well in which I would explain how I have bonded with them since young.”
Syukur was not the only one to be proud of this achievement. The headmaster of his school, Zah Hohamad, expressed his happiness by pointing out how accurately the pictures reflected Syukur’s loving and respectful spirit. He also mentioned,
“We currently have plans to assist Syukur in becoming a more prestigious student.”
“As we constantly observe Syukur’s progress, we realise that he does not let his popularity get to his head.”
Astro Awani reported that Syukur, who is now popularly known as The Kampung Boy, hopes that his recent achievements can motivate his friends to respect animals too. Syukur’s vision originates from his strong belief that animals are made by God and that they are no different compared to humans.
We are extremely proud of Mohd Syukur Khamis! We hope that this would inspire many people, both locally and internationally, to treat animals better, just as Syukur wished for.