Wildlife bus on whistle-stop tour

The Scotland wide tour has been developed by the Royal Zoological Society for Scotland (RZSS) in partnership with Clydesdale Bank. The bus has visited Milton Primary, St John the Baptist and Biggar Primary School in the district already.

In the latest vist to Milton Primary School the kids took part in a variety of interactive and fun sessions which focus on Scottish native species, their habitats and environments.

Chris West, CEO of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: “Conservation through education is one of the founding principles behind the Society and remains one of our key goals to this day.

“Our mobile education bus has had a huge impact across the length and breadth of Scotland, carrying out a large number of pit stops in South Lanarkshire. It is vital that we reach out to teach young people about conservation work and the species on their own doorstep. This outreach project makes up a significant part of RZSS’s work and we hope to continue with this, and other similar projects, for the foreseeable future.”

The customised double-decker has been transformed from a Stagecoach passenger bus into a fully functional and interactive mobile classroom with capacity to accommodate up to 26 children at once.

Among the topics covered were: Minibeasts – Looking at the huge diversity of insects on earth and the variety which can be found in the local area. Beavers and Wildcats – Exploring the basic ecology of beavers and wildcats, the re-introduction of beavers into Scotland and what is being done to help save the Scottish wildcat. Endangered Animals – Focusing on the main threats to wildlife in Scotland and what personal action can be taken to help.

To find out which schools and venues the bus is visiting or to book a visit to your local primary school, please visit: http://www.cbonline.co.uk/wildaboutscotland