Eco-activists call on educational institutions to stop the work of the "Fundamentals of Hunting Science" group in the Lviv region, which promotes the killing of wild animals among teenagers aged 13-17.
The circle in the Lviv regional center of ecological and naturalistic creativity (LOCENTUM) has been operating since 2021 with taxpayers' money, reports the public organization "Danube-Carpathian Program" on Facebook.
"Instead of forming an ecological culture and a humane attitude towards animals, as prescribed in the LOCENTUM statute, the residents of Gurtkiv are taught to perceive wild animals not as an integral part of nature, but as prey," eco-activists emphasized.
They said that Law No. 3447-IV "On the Protection of Animals from Cruelty" prohibits the promotion of hunting in the system of preschool, general secondary, vocational and higher education. However, the law does not take into account the system of extracurricular education that students receive.
"Environmental education is aimed at combining the rational and the emotional in the relationship between man and nature based on the principles of goodness and beauty, reason and consciousness, patriotism and universalism, scientific knowledge and compliance with environmental law," the message explained.
The authors emphasized that the elements of cruelty that the hunting science course provides can have a negative impact on teenagers, whose worldview and psyche are still being formed. The introduction of elements of cruelty, in particular hunting objects, hunting dog breeding and trophies, can have unintended consequences of changing children's behavior in terms of:
- deformation of the understanding of the principles of empathy;
- perception of human superiority over animals;
- manifestations of cruelty, which can increase the level of adolescent criminal and administrative violations in the school environment.
Eco-activists noted that the Department of Education and Science of the Lviv OVA should not have approved the work of this group, as it does not comply with the relevant laws of Ukraine and the Statute of LOCENTUM. They called on the department, the Deputy Commission on Education, Science and Innovation of the Lviv Regional Council, the Ministry of Education and Science to pay attention to this problem.
As EcoPolitic reported earlier, known animal rights activist Andriana Bailo was sued by hunters for insulting honor and dignity with the demand to recognize the post with criticism of the "Young Hunter Experts" group as unreliable and slanderous.
