ENDANGERED ANIMALS
Unit 4
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LEARNING AIMS
After studying this unit, you should be able to:
• actively use key terminology connected with endangered animals
• explain why animals become endangered or extinct
• give some examples of endangered animal species and of what we can do
to protect animals
KEY WORDS
conservation, conservationist, endangered species, exotic species, extinction,
habitat, hunt, hunting, offspring, overexploitation, poaching, prey, whaling, wild animals, wildlife refuge
LEAD-IN
A In pairs, answer the following questions about animals. Explain why.
1 What animal do you think makes the best pet?
2 Which animal do you consider to be the most useful to humans?
3 If you could be an animal, which one would you choose to be?
B Match each type of animals below (1-6) to one of its typical representatives (a-f).
Then add two or three more animals for each group.
1
2
3
4
5
6
birds
farm animals
insects
wild animals
pets
sea creatures
a
b
c
d
e
f
ant
guinea pig
wolf
octopus
seagull
goat
C Match each of these groups of nouns to an animal from the box.
horse
bird
cat
fish
1 feathers, beak, wings _________________
2 gills, scales, fin _________________
3 whiskers, paws, fur _________________
4 hooves, tail, mane _________________
D Explain these animal idioms and ask each other the questions.
1 Are you pig-headed?
3 Is it raining cats and dogs today?
2 Is there a black sheep in your family? 4 Do cars have to stop at zebra-crossings in our country?
EX 1 READING AND VOCABULARY (CD 4.1) Read the first paragraph of the text about
endangered animals. What does it mean when we say that an animal is ‘endangered‘?
EX 2 In pairs, look at the ‘topic sentences’ of all the paragraphs. Imagine what each paragraph is about.
A Animal species become endangered for a wide variety for reasons.
B Many local, national, and international organizations, such as Greenpeace or Friends of Nature
work to preserve habitats and heighten public awareness.
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C Extinction is not a new phenomenon but its current rate is increasing.
D When people hear the expression ‘endangered animals’, most of them think of a huge animal
species, like the Asian elephant, or a very cute and cuddly one, like the giant panda.
E There is a large number of endangered animals such as, for example, the bird called kagu.
EX 3 Now read the text paragraph by paragraph. Complete it with the topic sentences from exercise 2.
1 __D__ While some animals are indeed in immediate danger of 1exctinction because so few of them are currently left
alive, the threat of extinction is not limited only to the few animal species we can recognize in pictures or during our
visits to the zoo. The threat of extinction can affect every animal species on the planet.
2 _____ For hundreds of millions of years, extinction has been occurring naturally, as part of the evolutionary
process. Some cases of extinction have been caused by natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions. Others have been
the result of enviromental changes, such as shifts in climate. Sometimes extinction occurs on a very large scale, with
hundreds or thousands of species becoming extinct over a relatively short period of time. An example of this is the
dinosaurs, who became extinct at least 65 million years ago. But biologists warn us that the current rate of extinction
is 2alarming - they say that at least three animal and plant species become extinct every day, a rate much higher than
ever before.
3 _____ Rapid habitat destruction is the main reason that animal species become endangered. Natural changes usually
occur at a slow rate, so the effects on the individual species are usually slight, at least over the short term. When the
rate of change is greatly speeded up, there may be no time for individual species to 3adapt to new conditions. The
results can be disastrous. This increase in the rate of habitat destruction is directly linked to the rise in human
population. As more people use more space – for homes, farms, shopping centres, and so on, there is less living space for
species that cannot adapt to changing conditions. People also affect animal habitats when they take wood, oil and
other products from the land. Another people-related problem that harms wild animals is the introduction of 4exotic
species – foreign species that are deliberatly or accidentaly introduced into new habitats by human activities.
Sometimes an introduced species causes no obvious harm, but in other cases the indroduced species causes serious
problems. The worst of these problems is when introduced species begin to 5prey on native species and cause them harm.
Finally, animal species become endangered also due to 6overexploitation. One example of this is the case of the great
whales, many of which were reduced to extremely low population sizes in the mid-20th century because of unrestricted
whaling. In 1982, a number of countries agreed to put a ban on commercial whaling. As a result, some whale species
that used to be endangered have made great comebacks. Many other species, however, are still at risk. Some other
animal species experience high rates of exploitation because of the trade in animal parts. Currently, this trade is
centered in several parts of Asia where there is a strong market for traditional medicines made from items like tiger
bone or rhino horn. Other people-related problems that put plant and animal species at risk include 7poaching,
pollution, and over-collecting.
4 _____Many
birds sing or whistle and some, such as parrots can even talk. Kagus are
_____
birds that bark! There are only about 650 of them and they live in the forests and valleys
of New Caledonia, an island about 1,450 km east of Australia. They are 51-61
centimetres long and weigh about one kilogram. One problem for kagus is the animals that
people have brought to New Caledonia. These dogs, cats and pigs eat kagus or their eggs.
Another problem is hunting – some people kill kagus for their meat. However, the biggest
problem for kagus is the loss of their natural habitat. The forests of New Caledonia have
been cleared for mining and agriculture, leaving mainly a few small valleys where the kagus can live.
5 _____ 8 Conservationists have pressed for 9habitat conservation through the establishment of new wildlife refuges
and wilderness areas and for public and private land-use planning that would provide for development without
habitat destruction. Some wildlife conservation organizations try to keep seriously endangered species viable with
captive breeding programs, releasing new 10offspring into the species' native habitat when breeding is successful.
EX 4 Check your answers in pairs and answer the following question using the information in the text:
What is the main reason why animal species become endangered?
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EX 5 Read the text again carefully, focusing on the highlighted words. In pairs, match them to their
meanings (a-h).
1 extinction
2 alarming
3 adapt
4 exotic species
5 prey
6 overexploitation
7 poaching
8 conservationists
9 habitat conservation
10 offspring
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
illegally taking protected animals or plants
foreign species that have been introduced to a new habitat
to hunt for and take by force
wasteful killing of a species, usually by hunting or poaching
preservation of the place where a species normal lives or occurs
causing worry and fear
the young of an animal or plant
the complete disappearance of an animal species
people who take an active part in the protection of the environment
to develop and change in order to survive
EX 6 What other words are new for you? Choose some, underline them and try to guess their meaning from
the context or look them up in your dictionary. Be ready to explain them to the class.
EX 7 ROLE-PLAYING Read the fourth paragraph about kagus again. Then, from memory, ask and answer
the questions below in pairs.
Student A Imagine that you are the kagu and that you can talk.
Student B Imagine that you are a conservationist and that you want to help the kagus.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
What is special about you?
Which island do you live on?
Which country is it close to?
How much do you weigh?
Which animals are big threats to you?
How do they harm you?
Have people harmed you in any way, too?
Do you live only in forests now?
EX 8 LISTENING (CD 4.2) AND SPEAKING Listen to a biologist who is talking about the destruction
of our ecosystems. Decide if the sentences are T (true) or F (False). Which of her statements is most
surprising to you?
The biologist …
1
2
3
4
5
says an ecosystem only involves the relationship between animals and plants.
gives two reasons for the destruction of our ecosystems.
doesn’t think it is a serious problem when only one species becomes extinct.
says that millions of people might starve to death if too many animals and plants disappear.
thinks we should always protect people first, not animals.
EX 9 Listen again and explain why the sentences are true or false.
EX 10 Do you agree with the biologist that we should worry more about wild animals than people? Can you think
of any situation(s) when we should worry more about protecting people? Consider, for example, hunting
and selling animals (e.g. crocodiles or gorillas) in some very poor regions of Africa.
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EX 11 DISCUSSION Look at these three questions connected with the protection of animals. Decide if
you are ‘for’ or ‘against’ and list two reasons supporting your opinion. Then discuss what you think
with your partner. What do you agree or disagree about?
1 Should animals be killed for food?
2 Should hunting as a sport be made illegal?
3 Should animals be used in medical experiments?
EX 12 Now discuss the following with your partner.
1 What else do you think we could do to protect animals?
2 Do you know any animals in our country that may soon become extinct?
3 Can you name at least one Czech organization that protects animals or the environment?
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