Teachers Information - RZSS · •Research which benefits both captive and wild animals....

For further activities www.highlandwildlifepark.org/schools.htm

Teachers Information

The idea of this pack is that it is to be used by teachers and pupils to accompany them as they explore the Highland Wildlife Park.

Each activity can be printed out individually or as a whole booklet, it’s a pick-n-mix worksheet.

You can select what suits the requirements of the pupils.

If the students do not find the answers during their visit research could be undertaken when they return to school or via the internet.

Part 1 and Part 2 are separate documents and can be downloaded according to what you want.

The √ indicates suitability for age ranges. These are purely suggestions and you will be able to judge the ability of your pupils as to what you want them to do.

I hope that you find these activities helpful during your visit to the Park and can benefit your pupils understanding of animals and their environment.

If you have any suggestions or ideas regarding specific worksheets please contact me on 01540 651981 or email [email protected] HWP

Education

Part 1 Upper Primary Secondary

Introduction √ √

Map of the Park √ √

Park Spotters Guide √ Around the Highland Wildlife Park: Quiz √

Summit to Sea in Scotland √

Scotland's habitats √

Imagine where you might see….. √

Extinct British animals √ √

Why do animals need zoos? √ √

Scavenger Hunt: Creature Feature

Home Sweet Habitat √ √

Highland Wildlife Park Animal Search √ How Animals Move √ Animal Adaptaions √

Part 2 Animal Classification and Groups √

World biomes √ √

What makes an animal rare? √ √

Why are animals in zoos? √ √

mailto:[email protected]


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Highland Wildlife Park Education Dept. Kincraig, Kingussie, Inverness-Shire, PH21 1NL.

www.highlandwildlifepark.org Produced by Jasper Hughes.

http://www.highlandwildlifepark.org/


Introduction

The Highland Wildlife Park was opened in 1972 and was taken over by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland in 1986. By visiting today you are helping us support our mission, which is:

“To inspire and excite our visitor with the wonder of living animals and so to promote the conservation of threatened species and habitats”.

RZSS is dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and habitats, but we can only continue this work with your support. Your admission fee, all purchases within the park and donations will help with the following:

•Co-ordinating breeding programmes, for example our European bison. •Research which benefits both captive and wild animals. •Environmental education to raise awareness of wildlife issues. •Continuous improvements in our animals’ welfare and habitat through environmental enrichment of their enclosures.

At the Highland Wildlife Park we specialise in animals that are or were native to Scotland and other cold weather adapted species from around the world. The environments that these species come from will be amongst the first to be affected by climate change. These animals will soon disappear without our help.

As you explore the Park you will encounter many endangered animals from cold environments i.e. from Mountains and Tundra biomes. Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturi, meaning ‘treeless plain’. It is noted for its frost-moulded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons. There are two types of tundra within the world, these are;

The Arctic tundra. Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the North Pole and extending south to the coniferous forests of the taiga. The arctic is known for its cold, desert-like conditions. The growing season ranges from 50 to 60 days. The average winter temperature is -34° C , but the average summer temperature is 3-12° C which enables this biome to sustain life.

The Alpine tundra. Alpine tundra is located on mountains throughout the world at high altitude where trees cannot grow. The growing season is approximately 180 days. The night time temperature is usually below freezing. Unlike the arctic tundra, the soil in the alpine tundra is well drained.

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1. Snow monkey 2. Japanese serow 3. European beaver 4. Arctic fox 5. Snowy owl 6. Red panda 7. Goral 8. Bharal 9. Vivarium 10. Lynx 11. Scottish wildcat 12. Eurasian eagle owl 13. Pine marten


27. Przewalsk horse 28. Red deer 29. European elk 30. Bukhara deer 31. European crane 32. Pallas cat 33. Musk ox 34. Vicuna 35. Otters 36. Great grey owl 37. White-lipped deer 38. Satyr tragopan

Map of the Park

Please do not feed the animals, climb on walls or cross barriers. Please do not bang on the windows at exhibits. Please note that the Main Reserve will close half an hour before the Park closes. Please note that the management cannot accept responsibility for any damage to vehicles arising whilst in the Main Reserve or car park.

PLEASE NOTE The park is constantly evolving and the location of animals may be subject to change.

During your visit...

Viewpoint Main reserve

Walk-round area Not suitable for wheelchairs Cattle grid

14. Capercaillie 15. Red squirrel (wild) 16. Polar bears 17. European wolf 18. Markhor 19. Amur tiger 20. Bactrian camel 21. Kiang 22. Yak 23. European forest reindeer 24. Mishmi takin 25. Himalayan tahr 26. European bison

Animals of the Park

38

Not seen all the animals? Don’t forget that you can go

around the Main Reserve as many times as you want!

Elk

Przewalski horse

Forest reindeer

Red deer

Amur tiger

Markhor

Japanese macaque

(Snow monkey)

Lynx

Beaver

European wolf

Polar bear

European eagle owl

How many of these animals can you find in the Park? (These pictures are not to scale)

Park Spotters’ Guide Our animals in the reserve are free to move across a

large area and can sometimes be hard to see.


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European bison

Bactrian camel

Kiang

Yak

Great grey owl

Musk ox

Pallas Cat

European crane

Arctic fox

Capercaillie

Red squirrel

How many of these animals can you find in the Park? (These pictures are not to scale)

Park Spotters’ Guide Our animals in the reserve are free to move across a

large area and can sometimes be hard to see.

Pine Marten


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1. What does Capercaille mean in Gaelic? A. A wee dram please. B. Horse of the forest. C. Chicken of the brae.

2. Why did the pine marten population drop? A. Loss of habitat. B. Just died out. C. Persecution (Human crimes).

3. How many rings, on average, are there on a Wildcat’s tail? A. 0. B. 1 – 2. C. 3 – 5.

4. What noise / call does the Eagle Owl make? A. Ooo hoo. B. Boo hoo. C. Yoo hoo.

5. Who opened the Wolf Wood? A. Sir Richard Attenborough. B. HRH Princess Royal. C. Sheriff of Inverness. And on what date?

6. What does “Bharal” mean in Hindi? A. Blue sheep. B. Grey sheep. C. Silver sheep.

7. What does “Markhor” mean in Persian? A. Agile goat. B. Snake horn. C. Sure-footed.

8. Where do the Gorals come from? A. Scotland. B. China. C. Japan.

9. Male snowy owls compared to females are A. Larger. B. Smaller. C. The same size.

10. In the wild, Arctic foxes eat A. Birds, lemmings, polar bear leftovers. B. Fish and seals. C. Fruit, nuts and berries.

Around the Highland Wildlife Park: Quiz Read carefully as there could be more than one correct answer.


Complete this activity sheet and your teacher will discuss the answers.

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11. Red pandas are found in the wild in A. Perthshire. B. Japan. C. The Himalayan Mountains. Their favourite food is?

12. The Wildcat and Lynx both A. Have tufts on ears & spotted coats. B. Belong to the same family group. C. Have bodies the same size.

13. What is a Vivarium? A. A type of Scottish moss. B. Rare amphibian in Nepal C. A place where live animals or plants are kept under conditions

simulating their natural environment.

14. The ancient Japanese believed Snow Monkeys were A. Messengers from the gods. B. Messengers from the underworld. C. Like groups of very young children.

15. The European crane is a candidate for what? A. Move to a new collection. B. New enclosure. C. Re-introduction to Scotland.

16. Beavers where reintroduced to Scotland in the spring of? A. 2008. B. 2009. C. 2010.

17. What is going to be biggest threat to polar bears in the future? A. Global warming. B. Over hunting. C. Loss of habitat.

18. What colours do you see on the Amur tiger’s ears? A. Orange, black and blue. B. Orange, white and black. C. Black, Orange and red.

19. What is the current main cause for the disappearance of the Scottish Wildcat in the Highlands?

A. Persecution. B. Hybridisation. C. Global warming.

20. What native red animal can be sometimes seen running high through the trees?

A. Red Panda. B. Red Squirrels. C. Red deer.



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Scotland’s Habitats Complete the table below as part of Summit to Sea in Scotland



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Type of habitat.

Give named examples of habitat.

Examples of birds found in this habitat.

Examples of other animals found in this

habitat.

1) Mountains / Alpine tundra. Ring ouzel

2) Moorland.

3) Peatland.

4) Caledonian Pine Forest

and 5) Plantation

Woodland

Glen Affric

6) Farmland and

Scrub woodland.

Pheasant

7) Urban. Fox

Fresh water: 8) Loch and

9) Rivers.

10) Coast and Shore.

11) Estuaries. Beauly Firth

12) Open sea. Basking shark

Imagine where you might see…… Complete the table below as you approach

the “Best view is Scotland?”



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What is the animal on the

sign?

What habitat does it live in?

Give an example of this habitat.

What do they like to eat?

Osprey

Otters

Highland cattle Badenoch / Skye

Brown hare

Caperaillie Rothiemurchus

Pine marten Glenmore

Scottish wildcat Rabbit

Red deer

Moorland

Ptarmigan

Golden eagle

We think this is one of the best views in Scotland because it is possible to see from loch to alpine tundra. Many unique species live in these habitats.

Extinct British Animals What 5 animals used to be found in the Scottish countryside

and are now extinct in the UK?

Do you think we should introduce past animals back to the Scottish Countryside, why? What problems and benefits do you think we will have if we do reintroduce some of these animals? Problems: Benefits: How could we get over these problems? Which of the 5 animals that could be reintroduced to the UK do we not have at the Park? When, where and who killed the last wolf in Scotland? For further activities

www.highlandwildlifepark.org/schools.htm Complete this activity sheet and your

teacher will discuss the answers.

Animal Is it a herbivore carnivore or an

omnivore

Give an example of what it would eat

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

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Why do animals need Zoos? One of the biggest reasons why we have animals in zoos is

because they are being illegally hunted and they are losing their natural habitat in the wild.

Their wild population is decreasing. The population level can be described as their conservation status and can be divided into;

As you walk around the Park, look for the following animals and write down were they are from (region of origin), what their threats are in the wild are and what their conservation status is and to what breeding program do they belong too

(EEP or ESB)?

Region of origin

Threats to the

population

Conservation status

Breeding program

Red Panda Amur tiger

Scottish Wildcat

European Wolf

Polar Bear Pallas cat Japanese

serow

Markhor Beaver Chinese

goral

European Lynx

European Bison

Bharal Capercaillie



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Scavenger Hunt; Creature Features

Animals come in a remarkable variety of shapes, sizes, and colours.

Find an animal at the Park and write its name below that:



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Is red Is white Is blue(ish) Is grey

Has spots Has stripes Has hooves Webbed feet

Has feathers Has scales Has a shell Has whiskers

Is covered in fur Has no fur or

feathers Has horns Has antlers

Find an animal at the Park and write its name below that:

Something to talk about. What characteristics make you unique? What characteristics do you share with some of the animals at the Zoo? Which animals are similar to you? Which are different from you? For further activities

www.highlandwildlifepark.org/schools.htm Complete this activity sheet and your

teacher will discuss the answers.

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Has a long tail Has a short tail Has claws Has retractable

claws

Is bigger than you Is smaller than

you Could fit in the

palm of your hand Heavier than you

Scavenger Hunt Home Sweet Habitat

An animal’s home is called its habitat, and it contains everything the animal needs to survive and reproduce. A species’ habitat may be anything large

or small, in trees or underground. Some animals need lots of space within their habitat to move and

find food, while others can live in a very small space.

Find an animal at the Park that:



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Lives on land Lives on the ice Lives in forests Lives in mountains

Lives on grasslands

Lives on the tundra

Lives in your back garden

Became extinct in the UK

Lives in Scotland Lives in Europe Lives in Asia

Find an animal at the Park that:

Something to Talk About. What’s in your personal habitat?

What do you need to live comfortably?

What is similar about your habitat and the Parks animal’s habitats?

What is different?



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Needs a large area Needs a small area

Lives in groups or colonies Prefers to live alone

What is our native

country?

Scottish wildcat Capercaillie Pine marten Red deer Red squirrel

We are found on

which continent?

Wolf Eagle owl Crane Bison Lynx

We are found in

what habitat?

Polar bear Snowy owl Arctic fox Musk ox Forest reindeer

We are found on

which continent?

Amur tiger Satayr tragopan

Japanese macaque

Chinese goral

Przewalski horse

We are found in

what habitat?

Pallas cat Monal Red panda Bactrian camel Wild yak

We like to eat meat.

What are we?

We are all from the

same order. What are

we?

We like to eat meat and veg. What are

we?

We are herbivores.

What do we eat?

There are not many of us

left. What are

we?

Highland Wildlife Park Animal Search.

What animals can you spot while at the Park? Try and find them all. Put a tick by their name.



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How Animals Move. As you walk around the Park, write down the name of

the species below the picture when you see an animal moving that way.

See how many you are able to find that...


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Flies Crawls Climbs

Swims Walks on their own Walks with a group

Runs Jumps or hops Swings

Slithers Walks on 2 legs Walks on 4 legs




Animal Adaptations.

An adaptation is something about an animal that makes it possible for it to live in a particular place and in a particular way. It may be a

physical adaptation, like the size or shape of the animal's body, or the way in which its body works. Or it may be the way the animal

behaves. Each adaptation has been produced by evolution so that they can survive in the cold of the mountains and tundra?

Look and think about the animals in the Park. Can you match the animals below to the adaptation?

Polar Bear Reindeer Bactrian camel Beaver Arctic fox Lynx Snowy owl Amur tiger Crane

(You can use the animal more than once)

Adaptation Animal 1 Animal 2

Hollow fur

Blubber for warmth

Ability to store food on the body (fat reserves)

Small ears

Thick/long fur

Small surface area large mass

Excellent thermal properties in the fur

Compact features (short legs, rounded ears compact face)

Furry feet

Big feet (act as snow shoes)

Excellent camouflage

Ability to grow a winter coat

Ability to change colour in the winter

Ability to migrate HWP Education

Teachers Information - RZSS · •Research which benefits both captive and wild animals....

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