Once again, this year’s event attracted many visitors with an interest in reptiles, who had the opportunity to observe one of Hungary’s rarest and most endangered species up close. As always, the event aimed to raise awareness of this small but important species and showcase the results of the work carried out to preserve the Hungarian meadow viper.
In accordance with tradition, we hosted Viper Day for the 13th time on the first Saturday of September. On this day, we organised programmes at several locations across the country featuring the Hungarian meadow viper. With the help of our staff and volunteers, we organised programmes at six locations where visitors could learn about the species’ habitat, behaviour and ecological role, take a behind-the-scenes look at the breeding programme, find out how reintroduction and restoration of natural habitats works and hear first-hand about the daily work of researchers and caretakers.
Kiskunság National Park organised a tour of the Viper Centre, followed by an interactive presentation at the Puszta Kapuja Visitor Centre in Bugac in the afternoon.
The Duna-Ipoly National Park welcomed visitors to the Ethnographic Village Museum of Ócsa, where they could enjoy crafts and play nature-themed games.
At the Kecskemét Wildlife Park and the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden, visitors were able to learn about the key elements of our programme and the Hungarian meadow viper with the help of our staff and volunteers at information points.
At the Szeged Wildlife Park, the two female vipers were weighed and measured as usual in front of members of the public.
Meanwhile, at the Vanishing Viper conference held at the University of Chester in England, project leader Bálint Halpern presented the results of our 25-year species conservation programme to a professional audience. A key question at the event was the extent to which captive breeding and release methods could help conserve declining common adder (Vipera berus) populations in England.
Thousands of people had the opportunity to gain insight into the secrets of a nature conservation programme during the day, and we hope that this helped spread the message that even the smallest creatures play a huge role in maintaining the balance of nature and biodiversity — and that their future depends on us.
The conference programme can be viewed here.
