Monitoring_Lynx-lynx-carpathicus

5. Osveta a zvýšenie povedomia / Education and awareness raising________________________________________________________________________________________Unveiling the unknown carnivore:improving knowledge of Eurasian lynx in SlovakiaSVETLANA BEŤKOVÁ & ROBIN RIGGSlovak Wildlife Society, P.O. Box 72, 033 01 Liptovský Hrádok, Slovakia; betkova@slovakwildlife.orgThe lynx (Lynx lynx) is a relatively unfamiliar species(Bath et al. 2008). A survey of knowledge andopinions in 2003–2004 found that the generalpublic in Slovakia was poorly informed about largecarnivores but expressed interest in the issue(Wechselberger et al. 2005). With the aim of raisingawareness of lynx, we implemented an educationprogramme in 2013–2015 within the project Livingwith Carpathian Spirits.Among the main themes we focussed on thebiology and ecology of lynx and other felids, thestatus of the lynx population in Slovakia and its rolein reintroductions as well as monitoring methods.Materials and activities were adapted to the targetgroups: school pupils and university students, zooand museum visitors and the general public as wellas wildlife professionals.Publicity and education materialsA teaching manual In the Tracks of Lynx wasprepared and 1 500 copies printed (Beťková & Rigg2014). These were distributed along with posterswith information about the project to schools,libraries and museums. Other publicity andeducation materials and fieldwork aids were alsoprepared: a ruler with illustrations of animal tracks,a practical guide to animal tracks and signs (Rigg &Beťková 2015), ink stamps of tracks for teaching,magnets and badges with lynx motifs. T-shirts witha lynx motif were printed for project participantsand volunteers and a final brochure and CD-ROMwas compiled with results and contributions fromthe final seminar (bilingual English and Slovak).Information panelsSix information panels were completed, ofwhich three were located in Bojnice Zoo (lynxenclosure) and three in Veľká Fatra NP (GaderskáValley; Fig. 1). They include information on theproject, methods and results as well as excerptsfrom the history of live-capturing lynx in Slovakiafor release in Switzerland and other countries. Weused materials from Swiss partner organizationKORA as well as from lynx trapper Štefan Zatrochand Ludvik Kunc, who worked with lynx fromSlovakia for several years at Ostrava Zoo duringtheir reintroduction (Kunc 2010, Zatroch 2014).Mobile exhibitionTen educational rollup banners were printed.These were offered on loan to schools and othereducational institutions as a mobile exhibition TheEurasian lynx and its relatives (Fig. 2). On 1–30.1.2015 it was installed in the Slovak Museum ofNature Protection and Speleology, in LiptovskýMikuláš (Fig. 3). An opening was arranged witha presentation about the project followed by aneducational session for a class of school childrenwith a presentation and activities from theteaching manual In the Tracks of Lynx (Fig. 4). On31.1.2015, 125 guests could see the exhibition at aball organized by the district organization of theSlovak Hunting Union in cooperation with theDistrict Hunting Chamber in Liptovský Mikuláš.During the week of 3.2.–7.2.2015 the exhibitionwas placed in the regional library in Martin. TheEast Slovak Museum in Košice exhibited it from19.2. to 30.4.2015, with a public lecture titled TheEurasian lynx: a tiger of our mountains.We presented the exhibition together witheducational activities for a total of more than 800pupils of primary and secondary schools inLiptovský Hrádok, Liptovský Mikuláš, Martin andMlynky. These events were publicised on all the________________________________________________________________________________________Monitoring Lynx lynx carpathicus, Rigg & Kubala (2015) 81