Protect Proteus Project

In 2022, Postojna Cave welcomed new baby olms. Two human fish laid a total of 36 eggs. This was the second time since 2016 that this unique event was witnessed. This is one of the reasons why the idea of the Protect Proteus project was born, which aims at raising funds for researching the life and for the protection of the human fish.

"It is the eternal youth of the human fish that drives science to explore. But the human fish has always been a symbol of our natural heritage," said Marjan Batagelj, Chairman of the Postojna Cave Management Board, at a press conference on 26 January.

That is why the Protect Proteus Project has been set up to raise awareness among visitors and others about the importance of this underground amphibian and the importance of preserving a clean environment and drinking water. The human fish needs clean water to live, so if groundwater were polluted, it would lead to its extinction.

"Nature has given us the role of the guardians of the baby dragon fish, and our mission is to ensure a safe and healthy habitat for the human fish," said Batagelj.

The funds raised in this project will be used to ensure optimal living conditions for baby olms, to protect the species, to educate people about human fish and to invest in a cleaner environment in the long term.

Postojna Cave will therefore work to develop laboratories and collect data on the human fish and other cave inhabitants, collaborate with experts in these research areas, raise awareness about the human fish and environmentalism and the impact of both on the conservation of the underground, the preservation of the natural habitat of the human fish and thus the diverse species of animals in the underground.

Funds will be raised through the sale of bracelets and paid into a special fund. The project is also open to donations of any kind and will raise some of the money in partnership with companies that share the same sustainable philosophy.

The project will also involve experts from the Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty, with whom they have signed a special partnership agreement.

Human fish can live for up to 100 years, and can survive for up to 10 years without food. It has only 2 heartbeats per minute, is eternally young or remains in the larval stage for its entire life, and can even develop a completely new limb. All its abilities make it a true superhero.
And anyone who supports Protect Proteus is a superhero too. You can become an ambassador or a guardian of the human fish by symbolically buying a Protect Proteus bracelet, as the funds collected will go entirely to a special fund, by making a donation of your choice to the Protect Proteus Project, and by encouraging all companies that share the same sustainable philosophy to partner up.

On the occasion of the announcement of the Protect Proteus Project - Protecting the Human Fish, an exhibition at the entrance to the cave called Birth of the Dragonlings was set, enriched with photographs of precious scenes of the human fish and its babies through all the stages of development. 

More about the project.

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