OBI cooperates with WWF

“The 11th January OBI Hungary and WWF Hungary launch again their successful beaver class program series, which allow about 2600 primary school students from 16 cities to learn about the beaver, the largest rodent in Europe. The environmental classes are held between the end of January – end of February in 15 OBI stores in the countryside as well as the Soroksári út and Fogarasi út stores in Budapest for the interested students.

With the exclusive support of OBI, and in the presence of Prince Philip, WWF Hungary launched the first successful Hungarian mammal reestablishment program in 1996. The primary objective has been to reestablish the once thriving, but extinct for over 100 years, beaver population to Hungary, as well as to protect the flood land life communities.

As during the years the beaver population became natural in Hungary, the last step in the beaver reintroduction took place at Tiszatarján is October 2008 with the letting free of 14 beavers captured earlier in Germany. With this step the number of reestablished beavers exceeded 200 in Hungary. Due to the success of the program, the growth of the local beaver population and the natural arrival of beavers from the neighboring countries by now the number of these rodents exceed 500 in Hungary.

An important part of the cooperation between OBI and WWF is to create the opportunity for students to learn about the life of the beaver, and through this, to make them aware about the importance and the tools of efficient nature protection. This year the classes are held the 27 January – 26 February in 18 stores of 16 cities.

At the end of each class the groups receive a beaver quiz the answers to which can be mailed to WWF Hungary. Valuable presents are drawn among those providing the correct answers, while the pupils of the first prize winning class participate at an environmental class excursion. At the same time WWF and OBI launch a copywriting competition to which any child can apply with a poem or story about the beaver. The objective of the competition to let the creative fantasy of the children fly, together with the chance to learn about this interesting topic.

It is not by chance that OBI provides support to the WWF beaver program from the very beginnings. This is a program that reflects well the environmental awareness and commitment of OBI as well as provides the chance to prove this commitment in every city.