Feral goats

  1. Discuss the issues raised in the Feral goat story with another student.
  2. What is a feral animal?
  3. Why do feral animals need to be managed?
  4. Where in South Australia are feral goats a problem?
  5. What impact do they have on native species’?
  6. Explain how the latest program to manage feral goats works?
  7. How do the hunters know where the feral goats are?
  8. How has the population changed since the program?
  9. Create a T chart showing the pros and cons of culling feral goats.
  10. How did this story make you feel?

Create a quiz about feral animals in Australia.

ABC Landline – Men who stare at goats

ABC News – Betrayal the key to feral goats fight

Biodiversity Invasive Species – Feral Goat

Queensland Government – Feral Goats

Cane Toad snags

  1. Retell the BtN story.
  2. Why were Cane Toads introduced to Australia?
  3. Why are they considered an environmental disaster?
  4. Where in Australia have Cane Toads spread?
  5. What can happen to Quolls if they eat Cane Toads?
  6. Why are Quolls being given Cane Toad sausages?
  7. Describe the effect they have on the quolls.
  8. What has been done to control Cane Toad numbers?
  9. Illustrate an aspect of the BtN story.
  10. How did this story make you feel?

Find out more about the impact Cane Toads have on other native species.

ABC News – Cane toad sausages help wildlife

ABC Rural – Cane toad sausages on the menu for quolls

ABC Behind the News – Cane toads

National Geographic Kids – Cane Toads Creature Feature

Cane toads

  1. Discuss the main issues in the BtN story with another student.
  2. Why are cane toads a pest?
  3. What are a group of school kids in Darwin doing to get rid of cane toads?
  4. How many years ago were cane toads introduced?
  5. Why were they introduced to Australia?
  6. What impact do they have on native animals?
  7. Approximately how many cane toads do scientists think there are in Australia?
  8. How do meat ants help control cane toad numbers?
  9. Why do meat ants attack baby cane toads and not other animals?
  10. Apart from cane toads, what other introduced species have become pests in Australia?

Create a facts sheet about cane toads including information about when and why they were introduced and the impact they have on native animals.

Frogwatch – Toad busters

Northern Territory Government – Cane Toads

Australian Museum – Cane Toads

National Geographic – Cane Toads

Rabbit Scan

  1. In your own words, describe what a feral animal is.
  2. What damage do rabbits cause?
  3. What are the two reasons for rabbits having a huge impact on the environment?
  4. Why were they introduced when Europeans settled Australia?
  5. What methods have been used in the past to get rid of rabbits?
  6. How are kids getting involved in the war against rabbits?
  7. What is `rabbit scan’ trying to achieve?
  8. Why do rabbits eat their poo?
  9. How are the kids helping scientists with their research?
  10. Name three facts you learnt in the BtN rabbit scan story.

Create a plus, minus and interesting chart about rabbits.

ABC Landline Rabbit scan story

Rabbit scan – What is Rabbit scan?

Rabbit scan – Teachers guide

Feral cats

  1. Summarise the BtN story in a paragraph.
  2. Where in Australia are sea birds threatened by feral cats?
  3. What are they doing to control the feral cat population?
  4. Apart from setting traps, what else is Harko doing to fight the feral cat problem?
  5. What impact do feral cats have on the environment?
  6. What do you think responsible cat ownership involves?
  7. What are some solutions to controlling the feral cat problem?
  8. What strategies are governments thinking about introducing to control the problem?
  9. What do you think should happen next?
  10. Predict what might happen if feral cats aren’t controlled.

ABC News - Calls for action on feral cats

ABC News – Council’s concerns over cat plan

Department of Primary Industries – Feral cats

Feral cat fact sheet

Department of Primary Industries – Pest patrol activity book

Cat Protection Society of NSW – Responsible cat ownership

Kangaroo cull

  1. What is culling?
  2. Where is the cull going to take place?
  3. Is culling kangaroos the same as culling elephants? Why or why not?
  4. How many kangaroos are they going to cull?
  5. Why are there too many kangaroos in the Defence Force base?
  6. What impact are the kangaroos having on the environment in the area?
  7. What are protesters and wildlife groups suggesting should happen to the kangaroos?
  8. Why is the RSPCA supporting the cull?
  9. What do some Japanese people think about culling kangaroos?
  10. Do you believe it is the same as killing whales? Why or why not?

Government response to cull

RSPCA supports cull

Kangaroo cull hurting RSPCA donations

Protesters rally against kangaroo cull

RSPCA kangaroo code review

Animal ID

Animal recognition technology has been developed to help farmers control some introduced and native animals.

Focus Questions

  1. What was the main point of the story?
  2. Describe how a bore works.
  3. What happened to animal populations when underground water was discovered?
  4. What environmental impact did this have?
  5. What is animal recognition technology?
  6. How does a blue screen work?
  7. How it is being used to control animals?
  8. Describe the success of the project.
  9. Are there any negative aspects of the technology?
  10. Is there another solution to the problem? Explain your answer.

What is the impact?

After watching the BtN story about animal recognition technology, ask students to brainstorm what they know about the impact of some native and introduced animals on the environment. Students will then investigate an animal of concern and create an electronic text with the information. A possible structure for their investigation could be:

  • A brief description of the animal
  • What damage to the environment has the animal caused?
  • What are the financial costs?
  • What strategies are used to control or eradicate the animal?
  • Are these strategies effective?
  • Predict what might happen if the animal isn’t controlled.

Discuss with students possible sources for collecting information including relevant organisations and the Internet.

Students will create an electronic text to demonstrate their understanding of the issues. Possibilities include:

  • Using photographs to explain the issues
  • PowerPoint presentation
  • Animation
  • Web page

Develop a rubric

Negotiate with students what the assessment criteria will be for this investigation. Create a rubric using templates at the following website:

Further investigations

Create a timeline showing when non-native animals were introduced in Australia.

Make a game that teaches people about the environmental impact of some introduced and native animals.

Show on a map of Australia where there has been control or eradication of introduced or native animals.

Related Research Links
ABC News – Candid camera

University of Queensland – Animal recognition technology

ABC The New Inventors – Animal recognition invention

Department of Environment – Feral animals in Australia

Questacon – Information about introduced species

Nova Science website – Australia’s threatened species