About Feral Focus

Despite many decades of concerted effort, pest animals that were common at the beginning of last century are still common today...

Feral Focus: understanding pest animal management in Australia provides motivated teachers with a complete and up to date resource which addresses the complexities of effective pest animal management.

This resource dispels the myth that a feral animal should be eradicated at any cost using any means available. Instead students learn and appreciate the complexities involved in addressing pest problem issues and understand the aim of pest animal management is to reduce pest damage to an acceptable level using an economically sustainable approach and employing animal welfare and environmentally sensitive techniques.

Due to the serious, and at times sensitive, nature of pest animal management this resource has been developed for high school students specifically years 8, 9 and 10.

A list of activities, interactive scenarios and detailed research projects present teachers with strong links to current curriculum profiles. To reinforce student understanding, each activity comes with a list of further reading points and relevant websites which provide up to date information and allows the student to be fully informed when undertaking the activity.

This resource has been produced by the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre and the Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra. The Natural Heritage Trust has assisted in funding this project.