Children’s charities across the country join together to celebrate Scotland’s wildlife

13/06/2016 in RZSS

The Wild about Scotland project – a joint initiative between conservation charity the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank that seeks to widen participation and broaden engagement with native biodiversity across Scotland – held a special event on 11 June at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo to celebrate biodiversity.

The Wild about Scotland day saw children and families taking part in the range of fun biodiversity activities. Hundreds of complimentary tickets were extended to key children’s charities across the country, including Barnardo’s Scotland, Children 1^st, Aberlour, Action for Children and CHAS, to celebrate the success of the project.

The day featured dedicated activities in the Zoo’s special Wild about Scotland garden, such as looking out for local biodiversity hotspots around the Zoo and hearing about the elusive Scottish wildcat. There were also a variety of crafts – such as making bird feeders and decorating wildcat masks – and other engaging educational activities for the children to take part in on-site.

Every visitor on the day came away with a Wild about Scotland biodiversity guide and, last but not least, had the chance to hop aboard the Wild about Scotland bus to learn more about the huge diversity of insects on earth and the variety which can be found in the local area. Visitors to the bus explored the basic ecology of beavers and wildcats, found out more about the re-introduction of beavers into Scotland, discovered what is being done to help save the Scottish wildcat, and focused on the main threats to wildlife in Scotland and what personal action they can take to help.

Wild about Scotland aims to educate the next generation of conservationists about the importance of native biodiversity and what they can do to protect it. This is done with the help of a bespoke double-decker bus and a team of experts, who deliver free native biodiversity lessons to children across Scotland.

The Wild about Scotland bus has been converted into a fully functioning teaching space which provides fun and practical lessons, engaging children and communities with Scotland’s native wildlife. Now in its second year, the Wild about Scotland bus has engaged more than 10,000 pupils in Scotland with wildlife conservation and has visited more than 200 schools.

This second phase of the Wild about Scotland project seeks to engage a wider range of young people than ever before, through the links formed with the portfolio of charity partners. Each of the partners works with children both in the heart of our Scottish cities and in rural areas, and are playing a vital role in helping the Wild about Scotland project broaden its outreach.

Barbara Smith, acting Chief Executive of RZSS, said: “Our unique Wild about Scotland project has reached thousands of children and young people across Scotland. These will form the next generation of conservationists that our planet – and in particular Scotland’s flora and fauna – will reply upon to safeguard its future. As part of our outreach education work, and in keeping with the mission of our Society since its inception over 100 years ago, we want to reach out as far and wide as possible to inform and connect people to nature and local biodiversity. Through charity partnerships with organisations like Barnardo’s Scotland and Children 1^st, our project is able to reach children and their families to whom a visit to RZSS Edinburgh Zoo is not as readily accessible.”

Helen Page, Propositions and Marketing Director at Clydesdale Bank, said: “RZSS makes a vital contribution to the conservation of Scotland’s wildlife, both through direct preservation and its commitment to educating the public on endangered species, habitats and ecosystems.

“We’re proud to be supporting the campaign, particularly as the bus gives pupils and communities that may not otherwise have the opportunity, the chance to engage with expertise from RZSS on Scottish conservation. We are pleased to extend this opportunity to even more families through partnerships with key charity organisations.”

To find out more about the Wild about Scotland bus, visit the website at: http://www.rzss.org.uk/wildaboutscotland

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