Debrecen4U April 20, 2026

Nearly 500 Students Learn Responsible Animal Care at Zoo Debrecen

Nearly five hundred pupils took part in the educational day held at Zoo Debrecen. The aim was to demonstrate the importance of responsible animal keeping and animal welfare. The programme was delivered with the support of the “Animal Welfare Is Our Shared Responsibility” grant scheme.

The day began with a rabbit cage set-up activity and a question-and-answer session at Zoo Debrecen. The children were able to learn about the basics of animal care up close, in an interactive way, while absorbing knowledge almost without noticing.

The organisers’ goal is to foster empathy in children from an early age and to raise awareness of the importance of responsible animal keeping.

“The zoo is already a highly stimulating environment for them, but if we narrow the focus sufficiently for the children, we can carry out meaningful educational programmes with them in short intervals, so that they can enjoy the zoo as well,” explained zoo educator Attila Bathó.

The programme is being implemented with the support of the “Animal Welfare Is Our Shared Responsibility” grant, for which the municipality secured HUF 10,000,000.

The funding is being used in three parts: earlier, a free neutering programme was carried out, affecting the dogs of seventy families, with the involvement of the Ferenc Bodolai Foundation. This time, the focus has been on education: experience-based sessions were held at the zoo with the participation of nearly five hundred pupils.

“We asked the school district to cooperate and to recommend the zoo to classes and schools and, as we can see, there are themed locations where they talk and pass on the basics and importance of animal welfare in a playful way, and what is most important for me is that we provide children with experiences,” emphasised animal welfare officer Edina Szilágyi.

These sessions involved younger children, but secondary school pupils will follow next week. For them, specialists are preparing a more complex programme package offering deeper insight.

“They will receive a completely different education programme in terms of responsible pet ownership as they will get to, for example, go behind the scenes, meet the keepers, and of course learn about the importance of the role of zoos,” pointed out Zoltán Váradi, Managing Director of Zoo Debrecen.

The organisers hope that the knowledge gained now will help children in their everyday lives.

Source and photo credit: dehir.hu