PUPILS from a Maybole primary school experienced a series of interactive Scottish wildlife sessions last week.

St Cuthbert’s Primary School was able to take part in learning about the wildlife in Scotland thanks to a specially designed double-decker education bus, which is touring the country.

The programme was developed by the Royal Zoological Society for Scotland (RZSS) and it was made possible through a partnership between Clydesdale Bank and RZSS to support the charity in its conservation goals across Scotland. 

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Since 2014 the bus has made a number of stops in the area, visiting primary schools including Sacred Heart Primary School, Kingcase Primary School and Monkton Primary School.

Pupils from the schools took part in a variety of interactive and fun sessions which focused on Scottish native species, their habitats and environments. 

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.

Barbara Smith, 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 education bus has had a huge impact across the length and breadth of Scotland and it is vital that we reach out to teach young people about conservation work and the species on their own doorstep.”

Helen Page, Propositions and Marketing Director at Clydesdale Bank, added: “Wild about Scotland’s aim is to engage a younger generation with Scotland’s wildlife – not just in forests or wild areas of Scotland, but also in their own back gardens."

In particular, the insects, which can be found in the local area, beavers and wildcats so the children can see what is being done to help save the Scottish wildcat and endangered animals so the children can understand the main threats to the wildlife in Scotland and what is being done to help.