This secluded Buddhist kingdom knows exactly how to become successful.

In the 1970s, the country’s king said that ‘gross national happiness’ or GNH was more important than gross domestic product (GDP).

People’s wellbeing is the country’s priority, not its material growth.

In 2012, Bhutan’s minister of education said to the media: “GNH is an aspiration, a set of guiding principles through which we are navigating our path towards a sustainable and equitable society. We believe the world needs to do the same before it is too late.”

To celebrate the king’s birthday, prime minister Lotay Tshering asked citizens to adopt a dog or plant a tree.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck celebrated his 40th birthday and as a way of saying ‘thank you,’ the prime minister has asked its people to “plant a tree and care for it, adopt a stray dog, or commit to managing waste in your neighborhood.”

He also added that “personal commitment such as this, he said, would be the best gift for His Majesty.”

Thousands of people liked the prime minister’s post on Facebook.  Many have said that the request was amazing, with a woman saying: “I do all of these things daily! Four dogs, many trees, and always cleaning up beaches.”

One internet user commented: “So great to see that some world leaders care about the environment and animals!”

Another wrote: “do both. Adopt the dog, plant the tree, and then the dog has something to pee on.”

A third added: “I wish more countries apply these ideas.”

Bhutan was known for its huge stray dog population and to solve this, the country carried out a nationwide program to neuter the animals with the help of Humane Society International.

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