Going Wild about Scotland through August 2016

20/09/2016 in RZSS

Have you ever looked at the animals on a farm? Pigs, chickens, cows, horses, maybe a dog or two. But have you ever REALLY looked at the animals on a farm?

This month Whitmuir the Organic Place hosted us and a few others to celebrate food, plants and biodiversity. Whitmuir is a family run organic farm promoting sustainable farming practices and educating the public about buying locally and seasonally. We were invited to the farm to celebrate their 2000m² project which is designed to highlight our growing and harvesting abilities in Scotland. The idea comes from dividing up all the fertile arable land on the planet by the number of people so we each get an equal share to grow our own crops. At Whitmuir, they are experimenting, and educating, with what we can grow right here in Scotland to avoid waste and utilise the land effectively (see here for more details http://www.whitmuircommunityfarm.org/projects.htm). Our job was to discuss the role animals have to play in this. But not the big animals usually associated with farms, rather the little mini-beasts which have an incredibly important role to play. We conducted 8 hours of mini-beast hunts over two days to see what animals are helping our crops grow in fields across the country. From the detritivore recyclers (like worms and millipedes) to the all-important pollinators (likes bees and butterflies), we were able to not only look at and discuss the amazing invertebrate biodiversity found in our farms but also experience the benefits we receive from them first hand with everyone from 3 to 103 years old! 

As we continued through August we met many more members of the public in some well-known places such as revisiting Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre in Grangemouth, as well as some new locations for us. This August was the first ever Big Picnic to be held at the Helix Park in Falkirk and we were lucky enough to be invited along to take part in the free festivities. It was a fun family day with lots of music, sports and activities to entertain the little ones on a warm(ish) Sunday afternoon in Falkirk. Not only was it a first for the Helix Park but there was also a pretty major first for us this weekend too; we had a record breaking 1,130 people visit us in the park. It was the first time we had over 1,000 people come aboard the bus in one day! Thanks to everyone who joined us that day and we hope you all had a wonderful time.

Continuing through to end of the month we were very excited to be asked down to Chester to set up in the Zoo for two days. This was definitely one of our favourite moments of our two-year tour. It was the first time we had ventured south of the border (if you don’t include the refit of the bus which took place in Blackpool) to open our doors to the visitors of one of the busiest zoos in the UK. Linked together through the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) ‘Let it Grow’ campaign we  were there as part of a programme of activities to encourage people to develop their own wild areas to increase biodiversity within their gardens or green spaces. From the reintroduction of the beaver and management of deer across the UK, to wildlife gardening for mini-beasts found beneath our feet, we discussed the role of people in maintaining habitats and encouraging the recovery of wildlife. The whole experience was incredibly satisfying for both us at RZSS and those at Chester Zoo. It was incredibly rewarding to see our colleagues from another EAZA collection get so excited about our outreach programme and take ideas away for their own education activities. We also gained a new lease of life in a similar fashion, seeing the great work carried out by Chester Zoo inspired us to greater and better things in the future.

So that was just a little highlight of our busy August, and that was whilst the schools have been on holiday! September is shaping up to be another busy four weeks now that the schools are back with two trips to Aberdeen to take in the TechFest and visit schools within the city and then a trip to one of favourite places in Scotland, the Highlands!

Until next month,

Jamie and Kirsty


Wild about Scotland Education Officers 

 

We're at the @PEEK_Project play day at @DalmarnockPS in @GlasgowCC today! Let the games begin! pic.twitter.com/w9aYGq9dA1

— Wild about Scotland (@WildaboutScot) August 3, 2016

 

Wild about #natureplay with @TCVScotland! pic.twitter.com/Urn1pi7sR5

— Wild about Scotland (@WildaboutScot) August 16, 2016

 

Bruce from #ScottishBeaverTrial joined the team today at @chesterzoo today! He's been having a great time! pic.twitter.com/VdgiCwsEnz

— Wild about Scotland (@WildaboutScot) August 24, 2016

 

I loved visiting the @WildaboutScot bus! pic.twitter.com/py3pRMfe6X

— Jess French (@Zoologist_Jess) August 24, 2016

 

Come and join us today at @ScotWildlife Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre until 4pm pic.twitter.com/WhFucXNqjF

— Wild about Scotland (@WildaboutScot) August 9, 2016

 

Brodie is very excited about day two @chesterzoo, and not just because @Zoologist_Jess is here too! pic.twitter.com/Hs8GrMxjlA

— Wild about Scotland (@WildaboutScot) August 24, 2016