As part of marking the World Animal Day on October 4^th, a programme, based on this year’s campaign for the protection of wild animals in the cities, was presented at lake Bundek in Zagreb (Croatia) on October 7^th. Programme, named “Wild Life of the City – in coexistence with wild animals”, was initiated by the City of Zagreb and the Dumovec animal shelter in cooperation with organization for animal protection and animal rights “Animal Friends”. Namely, urban environments and nature are adjacent to one another and urban centres are often enriched with green oases, where people can observe and experience many wildlife species, like foxes, weasels, pine martens, hedgehogs, and squirrels.

Many bird species dwell in Zagreb: from pigeons and sparrows, magpies and crows to wild ducks and swans. So, employees of City of Zagreb’s animal shelter were educating visitors about how to improve their coexistence with wild animals. This day is also traditionally celebrated by foster dogs’ show, which aims to underline how much each dog shines in the company of its best friend. Participants of the show also tried their luck in a raffle, and donations will help dogs that are still waiting for new owners.

The LIFE DINALP BEAR project was presented with a stand where we shared informative material (leaflets, brochures) and talked about the project goals to the interested visitors. We also presented skulls of large carnivores in Croatia (bear, wolf, lynx), which were inspected with great interest by stand visitors. We were also pleased by their curiosity, when they wanted to know more about wildlife research in Croatia and worldwide.