Make a Tracking Tunnel
What is a tracking tunnel?
Tracking tunnels are used by scientists to find out which kinds of creatures are in gardens, nature reserves or national parks. You get a rat or other animal to walk across an ink pad to eat some food. It will then leave its inky footprints on the tunnel floor.
You will need:
A piece of thin, white card or cardboard for the tunnel.
A rectangular plastic lid and 1 tissue for the ink pad.
Some food colouring mixed with water for the ink.
A dollop of peanut butter.
A stapler.
Who made the tracks?
If lots of animals come to visit, their tracks might be a real mess! Using a magnifying glass might help you to decipher them.
For a guide to what creatures are leaving their footprints in your tracking tunnel, check out the Pest Detective Culprits website. Click on the photos of the pest species and then on the “Footprints and Tracking” tab.