Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Henry the seal

20 minutes

Find Out: Wildlife crime- it’s your call

25 minutes

Take Action: Raising awareness

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

explore how human activity affects species and their environments
understand the legislation that protects wildlife and how climate change is influencing these issues.

Success criteria

Students can:

identify examples of wildlife crime
describe how climate change can increase the risks facing wildlife
create a communication piece to inform the community about identifying and reporting wildlife crime.

Tune In: Henry the seal

Step 1

Direct students to watch the video of Henry the Seal appearing at Point Lonsdale Beach. Ask students what they believe the initial reaction from the public to this news story would be.

Step 2

Watch the video a second time, this time asking the students to focus on the police, Forest and Wildlife Officers and the volunteer wildlife rescuers. Ask students whether these people would see it the same way. Why or why not?

Facilitate a discussion highlighting the awareness generated by this news report and the authorities involved. Consider the animal welfare concerns and the enforcement of a safe distance from wild animals. Share and read the article Authorities on alert in Blairgowrie after Point Lonsdale seal commotion with the students.

Step 3

Ask students to use Think, Pair, Share to discuss the following items:

Why did Henry the seal become a major news story?
Why do people want to interact with Henry?
What risks did Henry face?
Why is he there in the first place?
How might climate change and human behaviour impact wildlife such as Henry?

Outline to students the role of the Conservation Regulator in this situation, explain to students that the Conservation Regulator, alongside Parks Victoria and Victoria Police, play a crucial role by:

erecting exclusion zones and patrolling the area to keep the public at a safe distance
educating the community about the legal requirement to stay at least 30 metres from seals (50 metres if with a dog), as seals can become defensive and are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975 and the Wildlife (Marine Mammal) Regulations 2019
reminding the public that disturbing, chasing, or feeding marine mammals is an offence and can result in fines up to $3,698 (current as of May 2025).

This incident underscores the importance of following wildlife protection regulations for human and animal safety and the active role of the Conservation Regulator in enforcing these laws and promoting community awareness.

Find Out: Wildlife crime - it’s your call

Step 1

Using the Wildlife Crime - It’s Your Call Trivia Game lead the students through a trivia-style team game in which they are presented with real-life examples from the Wildlife Crime: It’s Your Call campaign.

Explain to the students that they must use their knowledge and understanding to anticipate the outcome of each crime before learning about the Conservation Regulator’s response.

Ensure to reiterate how Crimestoppers and the Conservation Regulator work together to address wildlife crime and why community tips are vital.

Take Action: Raising awareness

Step 1

Invite students to view the three short 'Day in the Life' clips of Forest and Wildlife Officers, Amanda, Han Auld and Jackson on Crime Stoppers Victoria - Wildlife Crime: It's Your Call

Amanda - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh2kqgL4xdE

Han Auld - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PPjKHVUFl8

Jackson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veZMvTqev6I

Step 2

Explain to students that they are going to work in pairs to create a communication piece on how human behaviour impacts wildlife and their habitats.

Learning extension: Students may like to incorporate how climate change impacts can increase human interaction with wildlife, what the implications are and how to protect them, and their habitat into their communication piece.

Invite students to use the Communication Planning Sheet to outline their approach before designing their final product using multimedia such as Canva or Google Slides/Docs.

The communication piece must:

raise awareness of what constitutes wildlife crime and what steps to take if witnessed
can be a short video, blog post, letter, or poster for a community board.

Step 3

Ask students to access the following websites to help guide the focus of their communication piece:

Conservation Regulator - (https://www.vic.gov.au/conservation-regulator)
Report a Wildlife Crime - (https://www.crimestoppersvic.com.au/current-focus/wildlife-crime-its-your-call/?utm_source=socials&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=its_your_call)
Extinction Risks - (https://biodiversitycouncil.org.au/news/climate-change-dramatically-increases-extinction-risks)
Protect Beach Animals video - (https://vimeo.com/1089579623/d94f0aec1e?ts=0&share=copy)

Learning support: Encourage students to choose an incident highlighted in the Trivia Game as a basis for their communication piece.

Learning extension: Student may prefer to search for examples outside of the websites provided and use references from sources within their communication piece.

Step 4

Provide an opportunity for students to share and view each other's communication pieces.

Reflection: Circles of influence

Step 1

Direct students to the webpage Circles of Influence to help them understand that there are areas of their lives that they can positively influence.

Step 2

Using the graphic organiser, ask students to brainstorm how to share their communication piece with their circles of influence.

Wildlife Crime in a Warming World – Protecting What Matters

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

Wildlife Crime in a Warming World – Protecting What Matters

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables