Aké sú postoje žiakov základných škôl na Slovensku k vydre riečnej? What are the attitudes of primary school pupils in Slovakia toward the Eurasian Otter?
The aim of this paper was to find out the attitudes of primary school students from all over Slovakia towards the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). The survey was carried out in 2013 and 2014. The investigation into pupils’ attitudes was based on a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire contained 20 questions. Primary school pupils were together distributed and received 1,162 questionnaires, of which 258 (22,2 %) were in an electronic version and 904 (77,8 %) in print version. We assessed only complete questionnaires, derived from 1,149 students, 534 (46,5 %) males and 615 (53,5 %) females. Their average age was 11,2 (Min = 10, Max = 15). The results showed that the majority of pupils know about the otter and its food sources. Most information about otters was received from the school, television and the internet. Pupils had positive attitudes toward otters and their conservation. Most of them demonstrated their willingness to engage in the protection of otters.