Secrets and Science of Survival 1997

Filming Wildlife

A joint three-day event involving Anglia Survival (the award-winning TV series), the John Innes Centre and the TSN took place in March 1997. With live animals from around the world, computer graphics, TV cameras and equipment, many displays and a one-hour interactive talk by Mike Linley - Survival’s scientific adviser, 2000 children aged between 8 and 14 came with their teachers to see how animals and cameramen use camouflage to hide themselves.

The event was to mark the start of 10 years of Science Week collaborations between TSN, JIC and members of Survival Anglia, principally Mike Linley who went on to form Hairy Frog productions.

All this took place in a jungle atmosphere created in the John Innes Centre’s new Conference Building with hundreds of plants and forest sounds from hidden loudspeakers.

Places filled for this event very quickly and many schools (over 2500 children) were disappointed not to get in. An accompanying competition for KS2 and KS3 school children was launched, with prizes of cameras, wildlife videos and CD ROMS (‘Wildlife on your Doorstep’).

.. so what did we do 2 years later? > Science & Survival,1999