Zoo Ostrava The Annual Report 2009

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Education and publicity
Šárka Kalousková and Jan Pluháček
Education
In 2009, the Ostrava Zoo education centre personnel performed 220 education lessons attended by 6,106
children, including 22 sessions for 720 children from kindergartens and 198 lectures for 5,386 students from
diverse schools throughout Moravian-Silesian Region
In the new school year 2009/2010, five new education programmes were added to the existing menu:
• Three programmes for kindergartens and primary school grade 1 called Animals' bill of fare, Native wildlife
of the Czech Republic and Zoo animals' diary.
• Two programmes for primary school grade 2 and secondary schools called Eagles in the Czech Republic and
From the world of plants - trees and shrubs.
As with the year before, intense lecturer's involvement of the zoo in Czech universities continued in 2009.
The Behavioural ecology subject was fully managed by the zoo personnel at the Natural Science Faculty of the
Ostrava University, with additional full-day field class organised at Ostrava Zoo on 23 April. In 2009, the zoo
staff members were active as primary supervisors within four bachelor's and master's theses of candidates
studying at the natural science faculties in Ostrava and Ceske Budejovice. Outside the activities above,
a number of expert assessments were developed for diverse universities throughout the country. Ostrava
Zoo specialists also served as tutors within three subjects within the training course for Czech zoo keepers
organised by the SVOPAP agency (12 through 14 June). Thanks to the efforts outlined above, Ostrava Zoo
maintained its membership in the community of Czech zoos that proactively participate on education at
universities in the country.
The series of specialist's lectures for the public named the News from the World of Zoology continued
the fourth year under the management of the zoo scientific officer, with a number of experts from other
institutions involved, such as Bc Ludek Culik of Dvur Kralove Zoo giving a lecture on giraffe conservation,
taxonomy and husbandry, Mgr Martina Konecna of the University of South Bohemia with her paper concerning
social hierarchy and its consequences in macaques and RNDr Ales Toman, Jihlava Zoo, presenting biology and
conservation of the critically endangered European mink, which was a very good contribution to the pancontinental
campaign of European zoos and aquaria that was underway, dedicated to the conservation of
native carnivores. The lecture scheme was financially supported by the Czech Ministry of Environment. A total
of 10 presentations attracted 346 attendants.
Outside the zoo grounds, lectures and presentations were also held in public libraries, senior homes and
children departments of hospitals in the cities of Ostrava, Opava, Havirov and Novy Jicin. The zoo participated
at the Ostrava 2009 international film festival dedicated to sustainable development, presenting a report on
animal management at Ostrava Zoo. There were a total of 60 events attended by 1,104 persons.
In December, the 3rd annual conference named Involvement of Zoological Parks in Conservation Education
designed for directors of schools and education institutions, conservation education coordinators, natural
science teachers, managers of leisure natural science clubs and other persons interested took place at the zoo.