Respect Farm Animals and Wildlife
049 Animal lives – find your match.
Objective: To look at the inadvertent impacts humans can have on wildlife, to understand the sensitivities of animals and to create awareness about the consequences our behaviour can have on wildlife and farm animals.
Materials: A set of cards with the scenarios printed on them (see below).
Location: Preferably outdoors but can also be done indoors.
Duration: 20 - 40 minutes.
Audience: 12 years and over. Up to 14 participants.
Description: The basic premise for the game is that there are seven scenarios with two sides to each scenario; one side is the human perspective and the other is the animal perspective. In each scenario the human is an aggressor/perpetrator and the animal is a victim. Every human story is partnered with a corresponding animal story and the participants of the activity much match up the two sides to each scenario.
First set the context and introduce the Leave No Trace principle ‘Respect Farm Animals and Wildlife’. If appropriate share the objectives of the activity with the group.
To start the activity hand a card to each participant for them to read. Having read the card each participant should figure out whether they are a human or an animal and then find their paired /corresponding human or animal. The participants should interact and ask questions of each other’s situations to find their partner. It is useful to put a picture in the corner of some of scenario cards to give a clue to who their partner is (where it is not obvious). E.g. give the rock climber a picture of a Peregrine Falcon and the Peregrine Falcon a picture of rock climbers. The aim
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The activity is for the participants to acquaint themselves with certain animal sensitivities.
When everybody has found their partner, discuss in a group the finer points of the scenarios, what is actually happening in each scenario? Then come up with some ways you think that this could be prevented in the future.
Human Scenarios: 1. Children throw sticks at a pregnant badger a guide takes a group of ten young children out for a walk in autumn to a forest. He knows all the really interesting spots to bring the children. They stop by a badger set, the children are fascinated by it and start shouting “hello” into it and they give them ‘presents’ by putting sticks and stones down the different holes of the set.
2. Horse riders leave food for a fox three friends decide to go horse-riding in a forest together; they have heard that there is a nice trail to a waterfall. Half way through their day, they stop for lunch at a scenic spot where people often picnic. After lunch they continue on to the waterfall. On their way home they pass the place where they had lunch and notice that all the food they had left behind was gone and they wonder who or what ate it.
3. Rock climbers scare a peregrine falcon off its nest two rock climbers exploring the hills find a great spot to climb and since they have their gear with them they decide to give it a go. After a couple of hours climbing one of them is quite high up and hears a bird calling, the bird flies out above them and they see where the noise was coming from. The bird appears agitated but eventually flies off so they continue on up.
4. A dog off its lead chases a hare A family out for a drive with their dog get out of the car to go for a walk in the mountains. Since they are not near any other people they let their dog off the lead. He stays close by loving the freedom. About half an hour later they hear some strange noises and realise that fluffy (the dog) is nowhere to be seen. Worried they start calling him. A couple of worrying minutes pass before he comes running back. Relieved that he is ok and that no wild animals hurt him, they head back to the car.
5. A hill walker photographs a deer A hill walker comes across a herd of deer, tries to get close to get a picture but the deer scatter and he is unsuccessful. He reckons that they haven’t gone far and if he follows their tracks he may be able to find them again. So he does, but the same thing happens and he still hasn’t a photo. He tries for a bit longer, but eventually he gives up after about three hours as the light is fading.
6. A tourist warms up a cave and wakes up the bats ..an unsuspecting tourist goes for a walk in a scenic area. He decides go a little off track and stumbles across a cave. Thinking it must be the one from the tour brochure that everyone can go to, he decides to explore a little. It is only a small cave but it feels cold to him, he stands there for a while and the heat from his breath and body changes the temperature in the cave. He goes a little bit further in and the cave narrows considerably. He gets a fright when some bats fly out and decides to go back outside. Perhaps this isn’t the tourist cave after all.
7. Some children pick all the flowers and leave none for the butterflies. A group of children are out for a school tour with their favourite teacher and are having a great day. A few of them come up with a great idea to pick a bunch of flowers for their teacher to say thank you for such a wonderful day. The idea spreads throughout the class and suddenly everyone wants to pick some flowers. So they spread out and find as many as they can. They put them all together, and proudly present them to their teacher who is so very flattered that she praises them for their effort. They brag they picked every flower they could find for her.
Animal Scenarios: 1. A pregnant badger attacked with sticks and stones “Today I was sitting minding my own business in my home when all of a sudden I could hear a thudding sound. It was people walking past and by the sound of their voices they were young. I started to get nervous as I am heavily pregnant; my cubs are due any day. I have to clean out my sett again because they threw stones and twigs down here, some of which actually hit me.”
2. A fox eating some picnic leftovers from 2 horse riders “Today was great some people left yummy food behind. I didn’t even have to run far or chase it, which is good because I’ve not been too well lately either. It’s been ages since I’ve had to hunt and I’m getting quite fat. I wonder will they be back tomorrow? Oh dear my red fur is not looking too good; maybe it’s not enough food?”
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3. Peregrine Falcon frightened by rock climbers “It’s quiet! That’s how I like it, nice and quiet with no one around to steal my eggs. This is a good spot I picked. Just try and get me this year egg collectors! Oh dear, what’s that noise? What’s that smell? Oh no, not again, just leave my eggs alone! I’ll fly down and squawk at them to frighten them off. It’s no use they’re too close, I should save myself.”
4. Two sheep chased by a dog off its lead “What a fabulous evening Baa-baa, isn’t it just perfect for rummaging around the heather? The grass is good today. What’s going on over there, some birds are flying up? Tell you what, we’ll take it in turns to watch just in case. You go first! Maa-tilda Look! It’s a monster coming; it’s going to kill us. . I think we should run for it! There will be no eating for us tonight. Let’s split up. It can’t follow both of us. Good luck Baa-bara!”
5. A hibernating bat that has been woken up early by false heat “Joe sure you’re not going to believe what some idiot human did in February, well there I was having a great blooming sleep I was dreaming about this gorgeous Daubenton’s bat in my cave for the winter. I had just enough food eaten to get me through the winter sleep and no more. The temperature changed in the cave, which of course as you know yourself means it’s summer and there is food outside, time to get up. So I reluctantly left my dream of Delia Daubenton and got up, only to find out it was some human being standing around for so long that he warmed up the cave. I don’t know what I’m going to do now, I’m hungry, there’s no food around and I can’t go back to sleep.”
6. Deer being pestered by a photographer “I’m telling you guys I can smell something. What is it? Oh look over there! It’s another one and it’s got one of those things they put in front of their face. Look it’s trying to get closer. I can’t eat with it staring at me besides we have already lost three good deer to the guns this year. I’m going just over the next hill so it can’t see us.” A little while later. … “for crying out loud its back again, are we ever going to get to eat in peace today?” Three hours later … “well thank goodness it’s gone at last but I’m weak from hunger. Let’s get some food, it’s getting very late.”
7. Two butterflies find all the flowers picked from the field “Oh no there has been a massacre, oh goodness, Orange Tip have you found any yet?” “No I haven’t, what are we going to do?” “I’ve no Idea at all, will you go ask the
dragonflies? Go on, I am scared of them.” “Alright but check with the Ladybirds and see if they know what happened to all the flowers. I just don’t know what we are going to do!”
Debrief: Round of the activity by reiterating the key learning points from the activity and relate back to the Leave No Trace principle.