‘Wild about Scotland’ education makes record 400th visit in Glasgow

09/03/2017 in RZSS

-School visit marks more than 40,000 participants in the programme-

Dalmarnock Primary School in Glasgow is the 400^th school to be visited by the ‘Wild about Scotland’ award winning programme this week. The pupils experienced a series of interactive Scottish wildlife sessions and were busy planting 15 tree saplings in their grounds as part of a national campaign from Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and Clydesdale Bank.

The programme has been developed by the Royal Zoological Society for Scotland (RZSS) and has been made possible through a partnership between Clydesdale Bank and RZSS to support the charity in its conservation goals across Scotland. Pupils from the schools took part in a variety of interactive and fun sessions which focused on Scottish native species, their habitats and environments. Sessions were delivered by a dedicated education team from RZSS.

Barbara Smith, CEO of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: “Conservation through education is one of the founding principles behind the Society and remains one of our key goals to this day.

“Our focus on wildlife education has had a huge impact across the length and breadth of Scotland. We are absolutely delighted that we have been able to bring outreach education to over 400 schools across the country. It is vital that we reach out to teach young people about conservation work and the species on their own doorstep and we look forward to visiting many more schools in the future.”

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 are very excited that we have been able to support the programme to over 400 schools across the country.

“Since its first trip in 2014, more than 40,000 people have participated in the Wild about Scotland programme, including almost 3,500 people from the Glasgow area. We’re proud to be supporting the campaign in the new term, particularly as the bus gives communities the chance to engage with expertise from RZSS on Scottish conservation.”

 ‘Wild about Scotland’ aims to engage a younger generation with Scotland’s wildlife – not just in forests or wild areas of Scotland, but also in their own back gardens. In particular, the sessions cover the following topics:

• ‘Minibeasts’ – Looking at the huge diversity of insects on earth and the variety which can be found in the local area.
• ‘Beavers and Wildcats’ – Exploring the basic ecology of beavers and wildcats, the re-introduction of beavers into Scotland and what is being done to help save the Scottish wildcat.
• ‘Endangered Animals’ - Focusing on the main threats to wildlife in Scotland and what personal action can be taken to help.

The corporate partnership with Clydesdale Bank is the biggest in RZSS’s history and includes significant support. The partnership is helps support the delivery of the programme by RZSS’s outreach education team as it travels across Scotland to as many schools as possible.

To find out which schools and venues the bus is visiting or to book a visit to your local primary school, please visit:  http://www.cbonline.co.uk/wildaboutscotland

ENDS