Mark Wright in Slovakia

Maths in the Tatras

As I get deeper into this trip in Slovakia I realise the importance of Project Bear. Throughout Europe, bear-watching tourists are attracted to sit in hides and wait for sightings. Bears are attracted to the hides by food being regularly placed outside the hides. Bears that become accustomed to being fed can become increasingly dependent upon such food sources making the chances of bear-spotting that much higher.

Project Bear, where tourism works hand in hand with national parks and a research project, allows bears to be seen in their natural habitat without the confines of a hide - you may have to work that bit harder but the chances of being rewarded and sighting bears are high.

The project is terribly underfunded. It needs help as tourism alone may not be able to provide enough support for this worthwhile cause