On the trail of large carnivores – material for schools presenting the large predators in Finland

Unfortunately, this material for schools is only available in Finnish and Swedish.

There are four large carnivore species living in Finland: bear, wolf, lynx and wolverine. Large carnivores play an important role in nature as predators of other species. They cause admiration, concern and even fear in people.

With the extensive school material package, pupils can get familiar with the Finnish nature through large carnivores. Pupils learn to identify the tracks of carnivores, as well as understand the diversity of nature. There is also a section dealing with how to act if one meets a large carnivore.

Large carnivores are a more multifaceted subject than one would first think. In addition to the different species, the material describes the damage caused by large carnivores, the hunting of large carnivores, carnivores in the culture, emotions roused by wolf, occupations related to carnivores and large carnivore research.

The school material includes two versions based on age: one for pupils from the 3^rd to the 6^th grade, and one for pupils from the 7^th to the 9^th grade. There is a separate teacher’s guide and package of slides for each age group. The material includes videos, assignments, posters and a leaflet on large carnivore tracks.

The school material has been produced in the SusiLIFE project in 2021 (LIFE BOREALWOLF, LIFE18 NAT/FI/000394). Participants in the SusiLIFE project include the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), the Finnish Wildlife Agency, Metsähallitus, the Eastern Finland Police Department and the Uusimaa district of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.

The project has received funding from the European Union’s LIFE programme. The project is also funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of the Environment and the project organisations. The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK) funds activities that aim to protect domestic animals and prevent any losses. The project takes full responsibility for the content produced by it. The European Commission or CINEA is not responsible for the material or the use of the information contained in the material.