International Lynx Day, of course! It takes place on June 11, and this year we celebrated in Pivka and ZOO Ljubljana with a quite diverse programme…
On Saturday, Large Carnivore Centre DINA Pivka organised a cultural event with various workshops and stands. The programme started with stories by stand up comedian and writer Boštjan Gorenjic Pižama with musician Srečko Meh. Pupils from Pivka Elementary School presented a lynx they had made themselves – from wood and with carefully selected colours! This was followed by a conversation with academic painter Klarisa Sipoš, who is inspired by lynx and whose works can be seen in the exhibition space of DINA Centre.
Stand up comedian and writer Boštjan Gorenjic Pižama with musician Srečko Meh, making up stories about large carnivores. Photo: Manca Velkavrh, LIFE Lynx
LIFE Lynx educational stand. Photo: Manca Velkavrh, LIFE Lynx
Project staff from the Biotechnical Faculty presented the LIFE Lynx project in the cinema before showing the project films, and a stand with materials waited outside under the canopy. Visitors were able to see a lynx skull, telemetry collar, automatic camera, and check if a lynx’s fur is really soft like a kitten. The project also organised a painting workshop led by Klarisa Sipoš. This part of the programme took up a large part of the space in front of DINA, and the interest in paints and brushes was great! The stands of the LIFE Lynx project were not the only ones – children and other visitors could also watch the production of spruce ointment, make a little bag from willow bark and a candle from beeswax.
Lynx art-workshop. Photo: Bernarda Bele, LIFE Lynx
Painting workshop led by Klarisa Sipoš. Photo: Bernarda Bele, LIFE Lynx
During the Lynx Day weekend, we were also present at the Ljubljana ZOO,under the canopy, near the lynx enclosure. The fur coats of several carnivore species (not only the large ones) were the biggest eye-catcher, although some passers-by approached them a bit cautiously or reservedly. Skulls of lynx, wolf and bear were also available for comparison, as were casts of footprints of all three species and a wildcat. Many visitors stopped by the stand – some to touch the fur coats, others to hear stories about the biology of lynx and other carnivores. Children were also able to make pendants with animal prints to remember the lynx visit.
Educational materials in ZOO Ljubljana. Photo: Vesna Oražem
Pendants with animal prints. Photo: Vesna Oražem