Experience Synopsis: In the morning, students work in small groups taking on the role of ‘Wildlife Research Officers’ in either the African or the Asian rainforest. An open-ended problem involving wildlife crime challenges students to find a scenario based on the available evidence. An animal is missing from the rainforest under mysterious circumstances.

All activities proceed regardless of weather. Students are provided with a field booklet, which outlines their task. Observations, notes and other data can be recorded in these booklets. Students collate all the clues and write their team’s suggested scenario for what happened in the rainforest, justifying what they write. A prize is awarded to the best scenario for each rainforest, that links in with the supporting evidence.

A Customs Officer gives the students a talk about his role and displays some typical confiscations.

In the afternoon there are behind the scenes visits and a visit to the Discovery Centre with educators. 

Audience: 10 – 16 year olds. 

Duration: A full morning (three hours) for the activity; the afternoon for various behind the scenes visits and Discovery Centre time. 

Cost per participant: AU$38.50 for the day. 

Set Up Costs: AU$9.50 for concrete for footprint reproduction; AU$6.78 for cable ties to secure the clues out in the Zoo; AU$120 for prizes for eight days; all other resources produced using available materials from Discovery and Learning and donated clay for faeces reproduction. 

How the experience is marketed: Marketed as a mystery challenge for high achieving and gifted students. Advertised on the website; flyers mailed out to all Catholic and independent schools; flyers handed out to classes. 

Staffing requirements: For every 35-40 students, two educators and two volunteer supervisors. Two further volunteers to prepare and clean up the morning tea provided. Maximum number of students per conference: 70. Two more educators in the afternoon to assist with the behind the scenes visits. 

Links and Partners: Australian Quarantine Inspection Service and many animal sections for behind the scenes visits on the day. 

Resources to successfully run the experience: 

• pre-visit letter to orient the students into the role play situation of Wildlife Officers 
• forged airline tickets pushed into the pocket of an old coat 
• series of Polaroid photos of parts of animals involved in the mystery 
• poacher’s hideout equipment: bedroll, backpack, cutlery, tin of baked beans, can opener, roll of toilet paper, airline itinerary with relevant flights circled carelessly, optional packet of medicine made from endangered animals (on to some scrap paper, we copied down the address from the back of the packet of tiger bone plaster, then shoved the scrap into the back pack – students found it and were excited to make the connection between the address on the scrap with the address on the back of the tiger bone plaster.) 
• faeces ID sheet (photos of relevant animals’ faeces labeled) 
• hair ID sheet 
• information sheet on the missing animal (though the information did not suggest that it was the one that was missing) 
• crime scene with the following clues: clay faeces of various animals, hair samples from relevant animals found at the scene of the crime, torn piece of shirt covered in ‘blood’, footprints of various animals, including a human, a snare (for the tiger) or a small transport crate (for the mandrill), a torn up rifle slugs packet (Carninvore section had a left over one to give us), food lure (plastic chicken leg for the tiger; fruit for the mandrill – squash the banana heavily with a boot). 
• sufficient educators and volunteers for the day and for the preparation of clues 
• field booklet for each student to write down clues and information, with a map of their rainforest in the centre 
• scenario sheet for each team of students to write down their final story of what happened in the rainforest.