Teachers are an important part of the Local Consultative Groups, and we are also working more actively with nine teachers through the Young Lynx Guardians programme. This programme is itself slowly coming to an end as the project draws to a close. At the press conference we asked these teachers to give us their views on why they decided to take part in the project and how it was received by their pupils and students.
So here are the words which weren’t written by the project team ;).
Andreja Kero, Primary School 16 December Mojstrana
We joined the LIFE Lynx project at our school back in 2019. I decided to join the project because the lynx is a very charismatic animal for me, but I am also aware of the great importance of the presence of predators in our forests, which effectively take care of the natural balance that humans cannot restore through their activities. All the objectives of the project are important for me as a teacher to disseminate among my pupils, thus shaping their values towards nature and critical thinking. During the project, we regularly monitored the arrival of all the lynx with the pupils, and during the workshops and the field day, the pupils learned about the biology of the lynx and the problems faced by the Dinaric-Southeast Alpine population. We adopted Aida, a lynx that was translocated to Jelovica, and visited the enclosure from which she was released. As proud guardians of the lynx, the pupils also received project T-shirts, which they love to wear to proudly show their relationship with the lynx.
Proud guardians of the lynx from Mojstrana Primary School 16 December. Photo: LIFE Lynx
Nina Ražen, Gymnasium France Prešeren Kranj
As we at the Gymnasium France Prešeren Kranj believe that the participation and involvement of young people, who will lead and manage these populations in the future, is crucial in building coexistence between lynx and humans, we were happy to join the Young Lynx Guardians programme. We consider it an honour to be the first school to adopt a lynx, a lynx named Mala, in early 2020.
In building coexistence between lynx and humans, on 13th February 2020, we made our first contact with lynx at the gymnasium through a lecture on lynx and large carnivores by Urša Fležar from the Biotechnical Faculty and the opening of an exhibition of artworks by Slovenian artists, which was also on display to the public at the school until the beginning of the epidemic. The opening of the exhibition was also attended by artists Fran Bešter, Karmen Bajec and Brigita Mulej Požegar, who, among others, exhibited their works. The exhibition and the lecture received positive comments from students and teachers, as well as passers-by, including at the information day.
The field day took place in June, when we also visited the lynx enclosures on Jelovica, saw the lynx prey and habitat, and some students even got a glimpse of the lynx in its natural habitat for a few moments during a fleeting visit.
The students were happy to follow the life story of the adopted lynx through the website and the news, which was regularly updated by the coordinator of the Lynx Guardians, Manca Velkavrh. We also enjoyed following the stories of other lynxes, which are written like a complex novel. Fingers crossed for their success! 🙂
On the way to lynx enclosure we saw lynx footprints in the mud. Photo: dr. Nina Ražen
Mojca Vesel, Sodražica Primary School
We were very enthusiastic to join the Young Lynx Guardians programme, as we live in a lynx habitat area. We know that in 1973 lynx were successfully introduced to our area (Velika gora), but unfortunately, due to inbreeding, the increased numbers started to decrease. With the new lynx introduction project, we believe in the success of the lynx genetic enrichment and the conservation of this remarkable cat in our forests. Therefore, we have been informing the pupils at our school about the lynx population’s issue and the process of the introduction.
The pupils have participated in large numbers with suggestions for the name of the third introduced lynx. They drew or painted a number of artworks to welcome him. During the project, I taught them about the biology of the lynx, the problem of extinction, and the purpose of the project. The pupils were challenged with well-prepared interactive content about the lynx. For the pupils of the 6th and 7th grade we organised a field day with a visit to the enclosure in Loški Potok and the Lynx Trail in Kočevje. In the last school year, one art lesson was dedicated to the topic of lynxes in the whole school. In December, we held an Open Door Day where pupils presented the project’s activities to visitors. To make it more interesting, I asked the pupils questions about lynxes and they looked up the answers on the LIFE Lynx website. This gave them a deeper insight into what is happening with the reintroduced lynx and helped them to learn more. In each class, we drew the student with the correct answer and rewarded them with a practical prize – a lynx postcard, collar or T-shirt.
We are proud to be part of this worthwhile project.
A field day with a visit to the Lynx Trail in Kočevje. Photo: LIFE Lynx
Simona Zorman, Primary School Koroška Bela Jesenice, sent a video that she and the Young Guardians of the lynx Julia prepared.