A STUDY GUIDE by Andrew Fildes

A S TU D Y GU IDE by And rew Fild es
http://www.metromagazine.com.au
ISBN-13-978-1-74295-021-1
http://www.theeducationshop.com.au
A study guide by Andrew Fildes
ABC Television
starting 6 March 2011
SCREEN EDUCATION
A December Films production
thirteen-part series
2
W
ho is Chris Humfrey? An extraordinary character. Imagine that Jamie Oliver got interested in
animals rather than cooking – and ran a small
zoo! Chris is what he’d look like: the same energy, the same
‘laddish’ charm and a boundless enthusiasm for his work.
With wife Nicole and young daughters Charlie-Ashe (6 yrs)
and Taasha (4 yrs), the Humfreys have turned their life into
a full-time wildlife experience – they live a wild life.
Since 1994, zoologist Chris has been providing educational wildlife events – school incursions, parties, corporate
/ workplace events, public shows. He and his family live
with over 2000 animals in and around their home near Mt
Macedon in Victoria. Their house is the centre of a private
zoo which not only supports their educational programs but
also features the care of injured and orphaned wildlife and
runs a number of captive breeding programs for rare and
endangered native species.
Every day brings a whole new set of problems at the zoo.
Some are part of the normal running but some unique and
quite unpredictable. Forgetting to close a small door means
that large snakes make a run for it or the zoo’s office is
overrun by rather expensive young stick insects – hundreds
of them. Orphaned animals have to be hand reared, rare
foods need to be found, dangerous animals handled safely.
Chris is also a born explorer driven to disappear on adventures in search of new animals or … just because.
The Humfreys’ award-winning company, Wild Action, is one
of the most successful businesses of its kind and the family
can’t do it all. They employ a dedicated band of young ‘Gen
Y’ presenters to help cope with the huge workload of animal care (zookeepers) and presentations. Volunteers take
up some of the load and there is even a young zookeeper
program of supervised work experience. This all gives rise
to many personal stories – both people and animals – more
than enough to support a thirteen-part series.
Crew
Director
Nick Fletcher
Executive Producers
Tony Wright & Chris Humfrey
Series Producer
Bruce Permezel
Directors of Photography
Brendan deMontignie and
Jody Muston
Luke Collin and Wayne Hyett
Typically, in each episode, there will be the story of a
particular animal or species, one of a zoo-keeping and
care issue and one related to the educational role of the
company. Uniquely the show overlaps the styles of wildlife
documentary and reality show as we see both animals and
people overcoming various genuine difficulties in their lives.
‘This isn’t a job – it’s a lifestyle!’ (Episode 2)
SCREEN EDUCATION
Editors
The series shows a mix of both human and animal interest stories. Each of the thirteen episodes centres on three
sub-stories which in turn raise various issues concerning
wildlife. The style is an observational documentary, a ‘pointof-view’ approach and we see much of the action through
Chris’ eyes. As many of the animals are active at night,
infra-red video technology and motion sensors were used
to capture as much of the action as possible.
3
Using Chris Humfrey’s Wild Life in the
classroom
The series is aimed at a wide audience and during the early
episodes, most of the presentations shown are to junior
primary students – Grades Prep–2. However it would be
suitable for showing to mid-primary to Year 10 students –
older students could consider the issues and implications
of wildlife education for instance, rather than just the animals themselves. Each episode runs for 26 minutes with a
common opening sequence. Each deals with three differing
problems, ideas or events with some being followed up in
subsequent episodes. Different themes in each episode are
suitable for different age levels. There are individual animal
care stories and plenty of animal poo jokes for the younger
students, conservation and care issues for the older grades
and small business aspects for the older secondary students. Older students may also consider some career paths
in animal care and zoo-keeping.
A major resource for using the television series as a
classroom resource is Chris Humfrey’s own Wild Action
website at <http://www.wildaction.com.au>. It not only
provides booking details for those close enough, it has
Chris’ Video Blog which features a set of short miniepisodes on various animals and events in the zoo and
on his personal excursions.
Before Viewing
General discussion questions
After Viewing
Obviously students will be encouraged by the series to
request an incursion by a wildlife presenter like Wild Action.
In fact, the series could be used as a precursor to such a
visit. Equally, a visit to a general zoo or a specialist wildlife
zoo like Healesville Sanctuary near Melbourne would be
appropriate.
• What would it be like to live in a zoo? What might be the
advantages and disadvantages?
General tasks
• Could you cope? Think of all the chores, problems, the
loss of favourite animals.
Make a collage, web page or Powerpoint presentation on
one of the following:
• Remember that they aren’t pets! They bite, they misbehave, they try to escape and most can’t be trained or
tamed.
The special requirements of 3–5 of the animals shown in
the series in the wild and when they are kept in a zoo.
• What is the difference between a pet, a domestic animal
and a wild animal. It’s possible to tame a wild animal
but is it ever a pet like a dog can be?
• What are the rules for approaching animals in the wild?
(Think whales vs. jet boats). Is it acceptable to collect animals in the wild, such as bringing a lizard home as a pet?
How to run a wildlife park or zoo – what would you need
and what would the daily tasks include? Design your own
zoo. Choose your animals, design the enclosures and list
all the daily tasks necessary before you can let people visit
your zoo.
Link: <http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/sites/kids/
files/attachment/design-a-zoo-activity_0.pdf>
Key Themes:
SCREEN EDUCATION
Wildlife conservation
Environmental education
Private zoos – administration,
procedures and ethics
Animal handling
Wildlife collection, care and breeding
Dangerous animals
Small business opportunities
and difficulties
4
Cast of Characters
Chris Humfrey
A note on ethics – wildlife shows and presentations
Some students may raise questions about it being ‘cruel’ to
keep animals in captivity. They may be aware that this is a
contentious issue.
Chris makes his living from animal shows for schools and
other customers. Is there a problem with this? Are the animals
really ‘wild’? In what sense? Is it just a mini-circus?
Do the shows stress them? (As Chris says in Episode 1,
stress can kill a wild animal). Is it fair to the animals, even if
they are well treated? Keep in mind that all of Chris’ animals
are captive-bred (apart from some of the marine animals,
which are collected from the wild), so they are less susceptible to these particular stresses.
What are the ‘rules’ for animal handling? (For instance, many
zoos have a handling rule that the animal must come to you,
not you to the animal.)
The ethics of zoos is a difficult problem and ideal for discussion in junior philosophy. On one hand there is the obvious
educational benefit of seeing and perhaps even handling
animals that you might never see in the wild. On the other is
the problem that the animals are kept captive in unnatural circumstances and may be stressed by regular human contact.
Zoo ethics link: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/
entertainment_1.shtml>
Lifelong wildlife nut, Chris began collecting wild species as
a child and built up his own micro-zoo in Melbourne outer
suburb Kilsyth. By the age of six, he was charging entry to
his collection! This continued through secondary schooling
and into a degree in science at Melbourne Uni. He created
Wild Action while still at university and fourteen years later,
he now employs eight full-time employees and provides
encounters for over 250,000 children and adults every
year. He is also a fitness fanatic, and has competed at an
international level in kayaking. He uses his kayaking skills to
access wild places and marine environments.
Nicole Humfrey
Nicole met Chris while studying science at Melbourne Uni.
but lost contact until an accidental meeting years later. Her
upbringing was extremely conventional compared to Chris’
and she is sometimes exasperated by his wild schemes,
especially when there is a family and a family business to
run.
Charlie-Ashe and Taasha
Two typical little girls with a very atypical lifestyle. Their
lives are immersed and enmeshed with the animals that
invade their home, watch television with them and demand
attention at all times. Even their dog is a monster, a huge,
black Newfoundland.
Inger Ford – Staff Manager
SCREEN EDUCATION
Inger is a mother of two who first saw Chris in action in a
kindergarten presentation. Later she applied for the job of
nanny to Taasha as she was attracted to the zoo environment and eventually she became Office and Staff Manager.
Her own personal animal collection continues to grow.
5
The ‘Gen Y’ Wildlife Presenters/ Educators
Wherever they live, each presenter has a ‘kit’, a set of animals that share their lives. These are the specimens that
accompany them to each presentation, wherever it is and it makes their home life rather unusual. Chris expects all his
presenters to have the same enthusiasm for wildlife as himself.
Fiona Rose – Fiona is a
farm girl who, as a team
leader, takes over business
operations when Chris and
Nicole are away. She has a
preference for marsupials
which makes life in the city
rather unusual, especially
for her housemates.
Adam Lee – Adam is a
typical inner-city dweller
but with a particular love
of things that fly. His urban
lifestyle has to accommodate a crocodile in the
kitchen, frogs in the dunny
and Norman the fruit bat in
the lounge.
Katie Rumble – Katie is a
country girl and a student at
Deakin University, studying
Zoology and Indonesian.
She’s hoping to put both to
use in the future by volunteering in an Orangutan
sanctuary.
Laura Harbridge – Laura
studied Arts and worked
in the music industry in
Melbourne and Brisbane.
Eventually she left to travel
the world and volunteered
in wildlife rescue centres in
South America, South Africa
and Thailand. Now she
shares her home with three
housemates, a dog and
thirteen zoo animals.
The Animals
The Wild Action team
care for and present over
2,000 animals from 300
species. Residents of the
zoo include:
Xavier Morello – A marine
specialist who shares the
team leader role with Fiona.
His interest in marine organisms is extended to marine
water sports like snorkling,
sea kayaking, surfing and
diving. His closest friend
appears to be a dingo.
Darren Lever – Two things
fill Darren’s consciousness
– comedy and crocodiles.
An experienced stand-up
comedian with a taste for
reptiles is an obvious choice
for the job of performer/
presenter.
Laura Hogg – Laura has a
science degree in marine
Biology and Zoolology. She
has been involved in several
conservation activities
overseas, from turtles to
elephants.
Reptiles – crocodiles,
lizards and snakes. The
snakes include venomous
species like a taipan and
death adders.
Birds – emus, kookaburras,
owls, lorikeets, parrots and
native ducks.
Marine animals – Blueringed octopus, other octopuses, crabs, seahorses,
sea stars and small sharks.
Insects – spiders, stick
insects, beetles, scorpions
and the Giant burrowing
cockroach.
SCREEN EDUCATION
Marsupials – kangaroos,
wallabies, koalas, quolls,
potoroos and bettongs.
6
EPISODE
1
Episode 1 – Synopsis
After we are introduced to Chris, his family and his very unusual lifestyle, the core theme of this episode is the management of the private zoo, particularly the dietary requirements
of various animals and the difficulty in providing for them.
The three themes of this episode are:
• Providing for the dietary needs of koalas. Koalas won’t eat
any old gum leaves and Chris searches for suitable trees
in the area by ultralight aircraft and records them with a
GPS enabled mobile phone.
• Finally we are introduced to the wildlife rescue and care
aspect of his facility when a Kangaroo Island Western grey
kangaroo ejects her joey in panic and it then has to be
hand-reared.
SCREEN EDUCATION
• Possible attacks by local predators interested in the
smaller animals. In this case it’s foxes and Chris has developed an interesting and unusual solution to the problem.
It’s quite repellent!
7
Discussion questions and tasks
General
Student Research Tasks:
• What is Chris Humfrey’s job? Why is it important?
What eucalypts do koalas eat? Which eucalypt species?
Find out exactly.
• Who works for him and how do they live?
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~koalas/factsdiet.html
• What sort of life do his wife and children have?
How is it unusual?
• What are the good and not so good parts of their
lifestyle?
http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/koalas.htm
http://www.thekoala.com/koala/
Predators
• What animals do you see in this episode?
Koalas
• What exactly do koalas eat?
• What local predators might cause a problem at the zoo?
Are they all wild? What about stray/feral dogs and cats?
• What is the first line of defence? How do staff know that
there is a problem?
• Why does a male koala have a sternum (chest) gland?
• Where did foxes come from and how did they get here?
• How does Chris check that their digestion is working
well?
• Chris uses a ‘Pouch-cam’ to check on the baby koala in
the pouch. Why does he use it instead of opening
the pouch and what technology is it based upon?
(Fibre optic)
• What is a marsupial? How is it different to most other
mammals? (Eutherians like us)
• What is Chris’ answer to his fox problem and is it safe?
Does it work?
• What is the usual answer to a fox problem?
(1080 poison)
Research Task:
• What does ‘mammal’ actually mean?
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~dingo/origin.htm
SCREEN EDUCATION
• What other type of mammals are there? (Monotremes)
Chris is of the belief that the dingo is related to the wolf. Is
this correct? What exactly is a dingo and how does it differ
from a wolf?
8
Episode 1
Joey
• Why does the mother dump the baby kangaroo? Is
this a good survival strategy? (No sentimentality here
– when threatened in the wild, she sacrifices the joey
to lose its weight and to distract the predator, which
will then kill and eat the baby instead of her).
• What kind of milk can the young kangaroo consume
– what must it not contain? (Lactose –milk sugar).
What pet animals have a similar intolerance? (Cat)
Research Tasks:
The mother and joey are Kangaroo Island Western grey
kangaroos. What are the special features of this species
and what is its range/distribution?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Grey_Kangaroo
They’re also a rare sub-species (race) from Kangaroo Island. Where is Kangaroo Island and what special animals
are found there?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_Island
Why do we sometimes find rare animals or different
forms of common animals on islands? For example,
what reasonably common Tasmanian animals are now
very rare on the mainland? (Quolls are a good example.
Tigers and devils of course. And there were once unique
emus on King Island).
Episode 1
SCREEN EDUCATION
http://www.kiwr.com/kangaroo_island_wildlife
9
EPISODE
2
Episode 2 – Synopsis
‘This isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle.’
This episode begins with a disappointment – one of Chris’
presenters has resigned unexpectedly and left them in the
lurch. Chris now has to spread the load across other presenters and train new staff to cover the gap. For someone with his
level of enthusiasm for the job, this is frustrating.
Part of this episode focuses on Darren, his life and the way
he works. Darren has been a presenter for a while but has
no experience of marine animals. He has to be brought up to
speed quickly and that involves a diving trip to Port Phillip Bay
to find specimens, notably the deadly blue-ringed octopus.
We see his nervousness about the trip, his first presentation
as a ‘marine expert’ and some of his home life, living with his
‘kit’ of zoo animals. Fortunately he is also a practising standup comedian so he meets the challenge well.
The other themes in the episode include wild animal collection, zoo procedures and the blue-ringed octopus itself.
There is some discussion of insects as zoo specimens and an
update on Holly, the baby Western grey kangaroo rescued in
episode one.
• We see Chris and Darren taking marine specimens from
the wild – is this reasonable? Would it be different if these
were native land animals?
• The blue-ringed octopus is perhaps the most deadly
creature on the Australian seashore. Specimens need to
be collected so that they can be shown to children – with
warnings never to touch one.
SCREEN EDUCATION
• Someone leaves a small glass door slightly ajar in the zoo.
Unfortunately, there are hundreds of young stick insects
on the other side. Soon the whole office area is alive with
them and they’re valuable specimens.
10
Zoo procedures – safety and security
Why is it important to maintain good hygiene and security at animal pens and enclosures at all times? (External
threats, escape problems, spread of animal diseases i.e.
snake parasites)
Student activities
• Students should prepare a list of safety and security rules
for a wildlife zoo like Chris Humfrey’s home. These might
range from simple warning posters and signs for younger
students through to proper occupational health and safety
rules and signage by middle secondary students.
Discussion questions and tasks
The job of presenter
Why use young (‘Gen Y’) presenters? (They tend to be unmarried with few ties, enthusiastic and energetic, connect
well with small children, and are extroverted – they’re like
younger versions of Chris himself.)
Each presenter may live away from the Wild Action zoo
and work independently, using the ‘kit’ or set of display
animals that they need for their job. What difficulties does
this cause?
(Keeping wild animals in an urban household – especially
the dangerous ones like crocodiles – can be difficult. Large
pythons may not be very dangerous but they may escape
and scare people. Fruit bats are cute but they have terrible
body odour. Your housemates may have irrational fears of
big insects and spiders.)
Student activities
• Imagine that you are a presenter. Write an account of a
night at home where everything goes very – very wrong.
• Discuss what special skills would be necessary to do
Darren’s job. Make a list. Is there anyone in your class
like that, who has that kind of personality? (Consider
extroversion, sense of adventure, welcomes a challenge, easy-going nature, enthusiasm.)
Why is it important to educate children about insects and
similar animals?
What is an insect – how do we define them? (six legs)
What other kinds of ‘bug’ are there? What are Arachnida,
Myriapoda?
The ‘yuk’ factor – people, especially children, find insects
rather repulsive and spiders just plain horrid. Some adults
agree with them.
SCREEN EDUCATION
• Research the following. You need a licence to keep
some wild animals. Why? What are the licence levels
and which animals require having a licence? What do
you need to do to get a licence and to keep it?
‘Bugs’
11
Episode 2
Student activities
• Which insects do we find most repellent? (Students
could make a priority list with reasons for their choices
[flies, cockroaches, ants, wasps, beetles, locusts and
so on – add in positives like bees, butterflies, moths,
dragonflies, jewel beetles].) Rate them from worst to
best. Create an annotated poster with collected cut-out
images and descriptions.
• What other types of ‘bugs’ are there? How do animals
like spiders and centipedes differ from insects? Prepare
a report or presentation on three typical types – an
insect, a spider or mite, and a segmented multi-legged
beast like a centipede or millipede.
• Create a table-top zoo with small organisms – minibeasts. Prepare enclosures with name plates and
descriptions.
Marine animals
What types of marine organisms are collected?
Which come from tidal pools and which come from deeper
waters?
Awareness of coastal dangers – which marine species in
Australia are a threat?
Discussion
• We see Chris and Darren taking marine specimens from
the wild – is this reasonable? Would it be different if
these were native land animals?
• Why are we so fascinated by dangerous animals like
sharks, snakes and venomous sea creatures?
Student research activities
• Rockpool discovery. Visit a rockpool shelf, observing all
the usual precautions. Relate your experience directly
to the relevant episodes. In inland areas, substitute
litoral studies of freshwater zones.
• Map the most dangerous marine creatures along Australia’s coastline. Prepare a poster showing where each
is found and rate each for its danger factor. (Should Include sharks, box jellyfish, Irukandji jellyfish, cone shells,
blue-ringed octopus.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irukandji_jellyfish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonefish_stings_in_Australia
SCREEN EDUCATION
12
Episode 2
EPISODE
3
Episode 3 – Synopsis
Presenters come and go and it’s time to interview a job
applicant. This episode turns into a classic reality show as
Chris and his team put Danielle through one of the strangest job interviews that you’ve ever seen. Danielle has been
working at the zoo as a volunteer for some time and now
she’d like to step up for a full-time paid position as a presenter. But Chris isn’t convinced that she’s ready yet so she
has to go through her paces, handling and presenting the
animals in front of the team, who’ll jump on any mistake that
she makes. And she makes a few.
Meanwhile, back in the zoo there is a problem with the
reptiles. One of the snakes has come down with a parasite
infestation and it may have spread to other snakes and reptiles. It’s not necessarily fatal but it is debilitating and Chris
wants his exhibits to be in a healthy, lively condition.
Then there is a minor family disagreement. A friend of Chris’
has a pair of South American macaws – huge, brilliantly coloured parrots – and he’s jealous. Can he persuade Nicole to
let him buy a pair of these rather expensive and spectacular
birds, which are not found in the wild in Australia? Or will he
have to make do with a cheaper option?
• Danielle has to go through a rigorous job ‘audition’. Is
she treated fairly? Is she up to the job? Do you think that
she’ll cope with it if she gets it?
• Should Chris keep only native animals at Wild Action or
are exotics a good idea (many small zoos now specialise
in keeping animals from their own country or even their
own area, i.e. Healesville Sanctuary). Why are birds like
macaws very expensive? Why do you think Nicole is
unimpressed?
SCREEN EDUCATION
• Parasite infestations are a serious problem with keeping
reptiles; such infestations are easy to acquire and hard
to get rid of. What exactly is a mite? How do they feed
off a snake? What similar organisms can attack humans?
13
Student activities
• Imagine that you are a presenter. Write an account of a
night at home where everything goes very, very wrong.
• Discuss the following. What special skills would be necessary to do Darren’s job? Make a list. Is there anyone
in your class like that, who has that kind of personality?
(Consider extroversion, a sense of adventure, enjoyment
of a challenge, easy-going nature, enthusiasm, interest
in animals and the environment.)
• Research the following. You need a licence to keep
some wild animals. Why? What are the licence levels
and which animals require having a licence? What do
you need to do to get a licence and to keep it?
Zoo procedures – snake care
Discussion questions and tasks
The job interviews
Danielle has the enthusiasm and she looks the part but
does she have the depth of knowledge or the handling
skills that are required for the job? Would you give her
the job?
(Consider some of the mistakes that she makes, both in
the secure handling of the animals and in her knowledge of
even basic geography.)
Why use young presenters – the ‘Gen Y’ concept?
The word ‘ophidian’ refers to snakes, so the ophidian
spider mite is a parasite of snakes. There are around 1600
types of spider mite and most attack plants, sucking the
sap, but some attack insects and larger animals like ticks.
Mites and ticks are arachnids, like spiders; they have eight
legs.
How does Chris know that his snake is unwell? What are
the signs? How does he examine the animal? (Listless,
darker colour than usual. Visual check for mites, checks
droppings and skin shedding.)
http://lllreptile.com/info/library/care-and-husbandry-articles/-/dealing-with-snake-mites/
Do snakes make good pets? What kinds of snakes are
there? (People are often terrified of snakes but over 80 per
cent of all the species in the world are non-venomous.)
(They tend to be unmarried with few ties, enthusiastic and
energetic, connect well with small children and are extroverted – like younger versions of Chris himself.)
Each presenter may live away from the Wild Action zoo and
work independently, using the ‘kit’ or set of display animals
that they need for their job. What
difficulties does this cause?
SCREEN EDUCATION
(Keeping wild animals in an urban
household – especially the dangerous ones like crocodiles – can be
difficult. Large pythons may not be
very dangerous but they may escape
and scare people. Fruit bats are cute
but they have terrible body odour.
Your housemates may have irrational
fears about big insects and spiders.
Your snake might eat your fruit bat!)
14
Episode 3
Student activities
• Students should prepare a list of safety and security rules
for a wildlife zoo like Chris Humfrey’s home. These might
range from simple warning posters and signs for younger
students through to proper occupational health and safety
rules and signage by middle secondary students.
• Research venomous snakes in the local area. Cover dangerous species, sensible behaviour in snake country and
first-aid procedures for a snake bite.
• Build a giant python for the classroom as an art project,
using wire and papier mache or, even better, waste materials like waste packaging. Design repeat patterns like carpet
snakes.
Exotics – macaws
Where do macaws come from? How many different species are
there and how are they named. (Usually by their colours) Which
species is Chris so keen to buy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaw
What other exotic animals can you see in the zoo?
(Deer, the family dog …)
Student
research activity
Research the habitat of the
macaw and its lifestyle.
How many different types are
there and which are the rarest?
Why do they make
good pets?
SCREEN EDUCATION
Which is the biggest and which
is the smallest?
15
Episode 3
EPISODE
Episode 4 – Synopsis
‘This isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle.’
A small tragedy occurs – a ringtail possum has died in the nest, leaving her
young daughter an orphan. The baby
must now be reared by hand by the
Humfrey family, and this process could
well fail. In the wild most baby animals
do not survive and even with the best
of care, wildlife carers often see their
charges suddenly weaken and die.
Another issue is a python with back
trouble – as a python can have up to
600 vertebrae, a back problem is a
serious matter. The snake in question
was one of Chris’ childhood pets – it’s
elderly and precious. How should it be
treated? Chris takes an unusual step
and takes his old friend to his own
chiropractor. After all, chiropractors are
back specialists and a snake is almost
all back, so it makes a kind of sense.
and get over the natural human fear of
snakes, she can’t do the job.
Xavier, Wild Action’s marine specialist,
also features. Xavier enjoys nothing
more than a night dive in Port Phillip Bay, close to Melbourne, but his
purpose is to collect specimens for the
zoo and for presentations. We see him
select some common and colourful
species and witness a remarkable sight
– the dance of massed spider crabs.
• The ringtail possum is a fairly common species. Why should so much
time and effort be spent on a nonthreatened animal?
• Many chiropractors now specialise
in treating animals, especially pets
and horses, but you wouldn’t take a
pet to your own doctor, would you?
Why is chiropractic a popular treatment for animals?
• Why do we fear snakes so much?
If over 80 per cent of snakes are
non-venomous, is this sensible or
an irrational phobia?
• Xavier needs a permit to collect
marine specimens from the bay.
Why would he need one just to grab
a few weird beasties? After all, it’s
just like fishing, isn’t it?
SCREEN EDUCATION
This episode also focuses on two
human members of the zoo. We’re
following the progress of Danielle, the
new presenter; today she has to face
a make-or-break test – can she stand
being bitten by a snake? Being ‘nipped’
by the animals is a constant hazard
and if she can’t deal with it confidently
4
16
Discussion questions and tasks
Caring for wildlife
Raising baby animals can be a heartbreaking task. They
aren’t pets and can die suddenly from unexpected causes.
Lilly-Pilly is no exception and succumbs to a mystery virus.
The children learn a lesson in loss. Remember that each
pair of adult parent animals only need to replace themselves during their lives and make up for any other losses.
Most of their young do not survive to breeding age – if they
did, we’d be buried in kangaroos!
Student activities – questions and discussion
• What sort of animals do wildlife carers raise? Where do
most of them come from? What human activity orphans
young animals?
• What do you do if you find an injured wild animal?
• What sort of person would make a good wildlife carer?
What type of personality and special skills would be
required?
• What happens to these animals when they grow up?
What has to be done with them and how is this carried
out?
• Research and extension. Are there any wildlife carers
in your area or organisations that arrange for carers to
take orphaned animals? Do they care for all wildlife or
do they specialise in certain species?
Contact an organisation and get involved. Arrange for a
visit or adopt an orphan.
Snake tales
Chris’ old python has a damaged back and is taken to the
chiropractor. It seems an odd thing to do but the practitioner has some experience with animals and the treatment
seems to work.
Student activities
• How does the chiropractor treat the animal? How does
he go about treating the injury?
• How long does a big python like an olive python live?
How many vertebrae does it have in its backbone (back
and tail)? How can it move without legs?
• Does anyone have an unusual pet i.e. a snake or another reptiles? What special care do they require?
Episode 4
SCREEN EDUCATION
• Discuss the following. We usually take our cats and
dogs to the vet. What other animals could we take as
well?
17
Learner presenter
Danielle undergoes the ‘snakebite test’. The presenters
handle animals and sometimes they will get bitten, or at
least get a warning nip from a grumpy animal. They need to
be confident, unconcerned and save a real sense of caution
for large or venomous animals. Danielle proves that she can
deal with the damage but reveals that she does have some
animal phobias.
Questions and discussion
• Which kind of snake does Danielle have to let strike at
her? How does she describe the effect? How well does
she cope? How would you react?
• What animal phobia does she eventually reveal? (rats).
Why do some people fear animals like these while others keep them as pets; animals like rats, mice, lizards,
snakes, bats? Is it just irrational or is there some common sense behind these fears?
Marine collecting
• He claims that Port Phillip Bay has more biodiversity
than the Great Barrier Reef – what does this mean and
why is it a surprise?
• What animals does he collect?
• Why do the spider crabs group together and what are
they doing? (safety in numbers; forming a protective
group while they shed their hard shell, which they need
to do occasionally)
Student research activities
• Marine ecosystem – prepare an ecosystem diagram for
the coastline nearest to you. Who are the producers,
the grazers, the predators? Present it as a poster or
PowerPoint presentation.
• Some animals, including snakes and crabs, need
to shed their skin or carapace as they grow. Why is
this? What problems does it cause? Research the
phenomenon and prepare a report.
The zoo does not always buy its exhibits. The marine
specimens are collected from the wild (all other animals are
bred and raised in captivity). We saw Chris and Darren taking organisms like the blue-ringed octopus from tidal pools
but now Xavier has to go deeper in a night dive, one of his
favourite activities.
Questions and discussion
• What types of marine organisms does Xavier collect,
and from where?
• Why should there be any restrictions – isn’t he just doing a kind of fishing?
SCREEN EDUCATION
• Why is he allowed to do this and what restrictions are
there?
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Episode 4
EPISODE
Episode 5 – Synopsis
Chris is a big fan of Australia’s native dog, the
dingo. Not only is he trying very hard to breed
from his own small group of them, but he visits a professional breeder as well. It looks like
Chris has messed up the timing for the breeding
season – there’s only one correct time each year
for ‘primitive dogs’ like these. Will he get a litter
of pups from his old dog Luka and the black-andtan bitch Gypsy?
Danielle has been tasked to do her first unsupervised presentation at a school in Melbourne
and she’s enthusiastic but nervous about it. The
zoo can keep track of her via GPS tracking, and
something seems to be wrong. She should have
been back by now but the tracker says that she
hasn’t left the school an hour or two after the
presentation. Has she gone walkabout or has
something happened to her?
• Is the dingo a genuine wild animal or just a
feral dog? How does it differ from the family
pet?
• The death adder is small, quiet and deadly.
Is it one of the most dangerous snakes just
because its venom is so toxic or do others
have a more valid claim to the title?
• The kangaroos are fighting over male
dominance. Should they be allowed to
continue or should staff intervene?
• This week Danielle is thrown in the deep end
with only a few days warning. How is she
going to go with her first solo presentation?
SCREEN EDUCATION
While Gypsy is getting an ultrasound to see if
she is pregnant, Chris decides to check a death
adder who might be ready to give birth. (They
have live births; they don’t produce eggs.) This is
one of Australia’s deadliest snakes and she has
to be handled extremely carefully. Chris has to
deal with some disappointments here – he’s been
suffering from wishful thinking. Later, back at the
zoo, the Kangaroo Island Western grey kangaroos
have a few social problems to sort out. A young
male is feeling frisky and decides to challenge the
big alpha male of the mob.
5
19
Student activities – questions and discussion
• How is the dingo different from your pet dog at home?
• Would you be interested in keeping a dingo yourself,
considering the difficulties?
• What sort of person would make a good dingo owner?
Discussion questions and tasks
Dingoes
While a dingo may make a good pet and people who meet
them often really want one, they are now classified as
endangered wildlife in many parts of Australia; you can’t
keep one without a permit and a proper enclosure. It’s not
easy and perhaps it shouldn’t be – they aren’t the average
pet dog!
http://www.dogs4sale.com.au/Breeds/Australian_Dingo/
Breed_Fact_Sheet.htm
http://www.dingofoundation.org.au
Victorian restrictions:
http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/DSE/nrenpa.nsf/LinkView/
555A93FCA70358CECA2577B50001350FBF11D1D90
BD92089CA2572BF001DE8EA
Because it can interbreed with common dogs it is likely that
there are few groups of pure dingoes on the mainland, so
the dingo is regarded as endangered as it may be genetically overwhelmed by feral dogs.
Episode 5
• In 2010, the dingo was reclassified as an endangered
wild species. How has it been thought of in the past?
• What exactly does ‘feral’ mean? (Hint: it does not mean
‘stray’)
• Consider other ways in which the dingo could have
colonised Australia without the help of man.
• Research and extension. What is the full history of the
dingo? How does it differ from other Australian wild
animals? Prepare a report or presentation for the class,
comparing the dingo to the family dog.
Investigate the regulations for keeping a pet dingo in
your state. Are they reasonable?
How much like a true wolf is the dingo? Consider lifestyle and behaviour as well its appearance and shape.
Death adder
The death adder is an unusual species. It is a venomous
elapid snake like many other venomous snakes in Australia,
but it has taken on the shape and behaviour of a typical pit
viper – short and fat with a triangular head. This is because
there are no true vipers in Australia and the death adder
has adapted to fill the viper niche in the ecosystem. It is an
ambush predator, concealing itself quietly in leaf litter and
waving the tip of its tail as a lure. When a small mammal,
reptile or bird comes to investigate the wriggling tail tip, the
death adder strikes. It has a very fast strike and its venom
is so toxic that it can just wait for its prey to die in front of it.
This makes it very dangerous to humans; before an anti
venom was developed, 50 per cent of people who were
SCREEN EDUCATION
The origin of the dingo is a bit controversial. Canis lupus
dingo is related closely to the common dog Canis familiaris, but is regarded as a ‘primitive dog’, like the Basenji. It
breeds only once each year, not twice, and howls (with the
occasional ‘yip’) rather than barking. However, because it
can interbreed with stray and feral common dogs, it cannot
be regarded as a separate species. It is not related to the
American and European wolves but may have descended
from the Asian wolf. It seems to have arrived in Australia
from Indonesia, possibly with traders, some 5000 years
ago and was often domesticated by Aborigines. So, unlike
wolves and African wild dogs, it is not a truly wild animal
and some consider it to be a long-term feral animal.
• Gypsy is black and tan in colour – is this a true dingo
colouring? (Yes, but less common than the yellow type)
20
bitten died. It is in the top twenty of the world’s most
venomous snakes, perhaps in the top ten.
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Common-Death-Adder
http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/deathadder.htm
Student activities – questions and discussion
• Why does Chris think that the death adder is pregnant?
• What do you notice about the shape of the snake compared to that of the other snakes?
• How does Chris handle the death adder? What does
the vet do?
Roo fights
• What would Chris have to do if he were bitten?
• Research and extension. What are the rules for treating
a snake bite? How do you avoid getting bitten? What
do you do if you or a friend is bitten by a snake? Prepare a snake bite awareness poster for the classroom.
• Prepare an annotated wall map of common venomous
snakes in your area for recognition. If you are bitten
and need treatment, you have to know what species
attacked you!
The Kangaroo Island Western grey kangaroos have a
playground fight. No-one gets badly hurt but they are very
serious about it. Chris decides to let them get on with it –
it’s part of normal life for big males.
Student activities – questions and discussion
• Should the zoo staff intervene to protect the younger
animal from serious harm?
• Why/why not? It may be natural but these animals are
in a zoo, not in the wild. If one of them gets hurt, it
won’t be left to die as it would be in the wild.
• What exactly is the fight all about? What is the younger
male trying to do?
• What kind of animals behave like this? What species?
(Animals that live in family groups or tribes)
Learner presenter – the story continues
Danielle must take the final test – to give a presentation in
a school, on her own. Did she cope and more importantly,
where is she?
Questions and discussion
• What actually happened? Why would it have caused a
serious problem that day?
SCREEN EDUCATION
• Do we rely on technology too much? Do we expect
too much from it? The GPS fails and her mobile phone
is flat – panic! But a simple call to the school removes
most of the worry.
21
Episode 5
EPISODE
Episode 6 – Synopsis
Have you ever seen a quoll? Most people don’t even know
that such a creature exists let alone that it’s now almost
extinct on the mainland. One of the last of the carnivorous
marsupials, it’s what Australia used to have before cats and
foxes showed up. In fact, it’s sometimes called a ‘native cat’.
Chris has a small colony of tiger quolls and he’s determined to
breed the savage little critters despite a major disappointment
the year before. Will he succeed? Well, only if he can persuade
the rather irritable male to mate with one of the females, rather
than attack her!
Finally, ‘Cabby’ (Cabernet), the Humfreys’ huge Newfoundland dog, needs treatment for the arthritis that often plagues
this massive species. Chris has already lost two dogs to the
disease and decides that the best approach is a radical treatment – the injection of stem cells into the joints to encourage
regrowth and healing. Nothing else has worked so it’s a last
chance trial.
• What kind of animal is a quoll? What is the European
equivalent? What other animals is the quoll related to?
• Why have quolls become so rare on the Australian mainland, although not so endangered in Tasmania?
• How does the squirrel glider differ from a normal small
possum? Why is it called a glider and what have squirrels
got to do with it?
• Does your school have any animals like the bearded dragon seen here? Who looks after them and what is involved?
• Cabby undergoes an unusual and expensive treatment
that has hardly even been tested on humans yet. Is it
reasonable to use such high-level medical resources on a
pet? Some people will spend anything to keep a loved pet
alive, but is it sensible?
SCREEN EDUCATION
While the tiger quoll is the main story in this episode, there
are a number of other events to keep them all busy. Chris has
decided to give a local primary school student the opportunity
to become a ‘junior zookeeper’ and has to train him to handle
animals. Office manager and koala fanatic Inger agrees to
raise a lively bunch of squirrel gliders in her own home, but
finds herself in trouble when they escape from their container
inside her car while she’s driving.
6
22
Discussion questions and tasks
Quolls
As a small predator similar to the wildcat, polecat or mongoose in Europe and Asia, the quoll played an important
role in the Australian ecosystem. It looks a bit like a large,
spotted possum but is faster and more agile. The wild
quolls we see in the episode are quite fierce. When handreared and raised in captivity, they can be far more docile,
but they are still essentially a wild animal. The quoll is a
member of the dasyurids, a group of carnivorous marsupials that include Tasmanian tigers, Tasmanian devils, phascogales, dunnarts and many other species. Unfortunately
we imported very efficient competitors and predators for
them. Cats can outhunt and outbreed the quoll. Dogs and
foxes will hunt and kill them. Not only that, but farmers
were ruthless in trying to exterminate them because they
are very enthusiastic chicken killers. All four species are
now threatened and reduced to small populations.
Student activities – questions and discussion
• What kind of animal is a quoll? (predator, marsupial)
Research and extension
• Why are they threatened? How long do they live?
• How many species of quoll survive in Australia now?
Download a PDF with information about the quoll from
<http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/
threatened/publications/quolls2004.html>.
• Why is it so difficult to breed them? (aggressive, short
season)
• How does the male know that the female is ready to
mate?
• Does Chris’ tiger quoll have a true pouch? (No, just
cover flaps. Tiger quolls can have a pouch, but it only
develops after sexual maturity.)
• Quolls are beautiful animals. Could they be kept as a
pet? Would this help to save them?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/14/3038560.
htm
• What is so special about carnivorous marsupials?
Prepare a comparative chart of the Tasmanian tiger,
Tasmanian devil, quoll, antechinus and a smaller one
like a dunnart. Go to <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Dasyuromorphia> for background.
• The quoll is almost unknown and is endangered. Prepare a report and a conservation plan for at least one
species – consider its range, distribution, requirements
and threats.
Squirrel gliders
Gliders are a form of possum
unique to Australia and New Guinea
(there are flying squirrels in North America
and Asia but they are not related). There are
several species of glider, from the squirrel glider
seen in this episode, to the tiny feathertail glider, to
the large greater glider.
SCREEN EDUCATION
The rarest is the leadbeater’s possum, although
it has only a tiny gliding flap. Sugar gliders are
the best known and are popular pets in
North America, although it can be very
difficult to get a permit to keep
one in Australia.
23
Episode 6
Student activities – questions and discussion
• What is a glider? How does it differ from a regular
possum?
• What is a squirrel? Is it really like this little glider?
• The gliders in the episode have been bred in captivity.
Why would they die if they escaped into the wild?
• Do you know of any other gliders?
Research and extension
Research and extension
• How many gliding possums are there in Australia?
Research one unfamiliar species such as the squirrel
glider or greater glider to find its range and details of
its lifestyle and diet. Prepare a poster or conservation
strategy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petauridae
• Some possums are well known but there are many
species that are rare, endangered or unfamiliar. One of
them is green! There are four different brushtail possums – not just one. Select one rare possum from your
area and prepare a graphic or web page profile.
• You can find a full list here with links, but some are from
New Guinea only <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Possum>.
Junior zookeeper
• Plan a live animal display for your school. Develop a
proposal for the school council that includes costings,
funding, maintenance and educational advantages.
Cabby
The monster Newfoundland dog gets stem-cell treatment
for arthritis. Stem-cell research and treatments are highly
controversial in human medicine but less so in the veterinary world.
Student activities – questions and discussion
• Is it reasonable to spend so much money on a pet?
Why do people do that?
• Why is stem-cell research and treatment controversial
for humans?
• What is the source of the stem cells for Cabby’s treatment? What does ‘autologous’ mean?
The Wild Action zoo has a ‘junior zookeeper’ day but Chris
wants to set up a program where one or more students
from the local primary school look after a live animal display
in the school. They already have a small zoo of farmyard
animals. One boy is selected to care for a bearded dragon.
• Why is this breed of dog likely to develop arthritis? Are
there other breeds of dog that have typical problems
and diseases like this?
http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Others/
Bearded-Dragons/364
• Investigate stem-cell treatments for both animals and
humans. How do stem cells work? Which animals are
being treated and for what problems? What human
diseases might stem-cell therapy be suitable for? What
are the arguments against it?
Student activities – questions and discussion
Research and extension
• Does your school keep any live animals? Why and
where? Who cares for them?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell_treatments
• Why is a bearded dragon a good choice of animal to
keep at a school?
http://singularityhub.com/2009/06/25/veterinary-stem-cells
-why-your-dog-is-getting-better-treatment-than-you/
• If you wanted to set up a small animal display how
would you do it, what species would be suitable and
what arrangements would need to be made?
Episode 6
SCREEN EDUCATION
• Why is it difficult for a school to keep live animals?
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This study guide was produced by ATOM. (© ATOM 2011)
ISBN-13-978-1-74295-021-1 [email protected]
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SCREEN EDUCATION
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visit <http://www.theeducationshop.com.au>.
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