Abstract 988 – Educational Materials for Non-professionals Raise Conservation Awareness for Bears

Zsuzsa Petró, Amelia Griep, Eliza Bányácskai, Lydia Költer

Zoos have millions of visitors annually. They can reach a broad audience and communicate
accurate and powerful messages to the public, which may influence people’s understanding of
and attitudes about many species of wildlife; consequently, people may be moved toward
actions that may aid conservation. All 8 bear species are kept in zoos of the European
Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). One of the key roles of the EAZA Bear Taxon Advisory
Group (TAG) is to raise awareness of bears through education, thereby fostering more attention
to their conservation. Educational packages have been created for zoos and sanctuaries to
communicate information to visitors from a wide range of social, cultural, ethnic, and economic
backgrounds, aiming to influence people’s attitudes based on the “see it, sense it, save it”
principle. Educational material is available for different age groups. Here, we highlight the
“Communication” component of the Species Conservation Cycle by focusing on three recently
developed educational products. For preschool and elementary school groups, “The Bear Book”
conveys messages mainly by drawings. Information covering all bear species is embedded in a
fairy tale. Games at the end of the book help to recap and tighten the learned content in a
playful manner. For adolescents and adults, the EAZA Bear TAG created Educational Guidelines,
called “All About Ursidae”. This is an extensive and detailed compilation (~250 pages) of up-to-
date information about each of the 8 species as well as relevant topical areas. Concise text is
profusely illustrated with drawings and photos. It starts with bear ancestry, and then covers
morphology and ecology of each species, followed by chapters about hibernation,
reproduction, and communication. There is considerable focus on status and threats with
reference to the IUCN Red List. It also includes reports on conservation projects contributed by
invited bear biologists/conservationists mainly from the BSG. It culminates with a section about
“what can you do?” Thirdly, we developed a leaflet/poster titled the “Bear is Not a Toy” which
can be downloaded in 7 languages to help hikers stay safe in European regions with brown
bears. The hope is that both people and bears suffer fewer tragic encounters. All of these
materials are freely available. Educational Guidelines: https://www.eaza.net/assets/Uploads/CCC/BPG-2024/Bear-Educational-Guidelines.pdf Bear
Book for kids (video): www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR9YrcFE28w Bear is Not a Toy:
www.drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nS44EEsMylH2EV4cltdeFYYSQU_pD63F?usp=sharing