Ms. Ketcham- Grammar & Comp
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THE LANGUAGE ARTS MAGAZINE
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Nonfiction: “How to Save a Baby Elephant” • Skill: Research, page 1 of 3
Directions: Click on the links and answer the questions below to gather information about African elephants and
the ivory trade. You can use facts from your research as support for your cause in an advocacy letter on behalf of
African elephants.
Stop 1: World Wildlife Fund
S AV E A S
P RI N T
Page: African Elephants
1. What is the population of African elephants today? What was it in the 1930s and ’40s?
470,000 - 690,000 individuals it was about 100,000.
2. What is the African elephant’s endangered status? Why does it vary from place to place? What can you
conclude from this variation about elephants’ need for protection?
elephant population across Africa are faring differently with some remaining endangered
and others now secure. Southern Africa is the stronghold for the species with large and
expanding populations.
Page: Elephant Poaching Increases as Ivory Markets Go Unregulated
3. What two countries have the largest markets for raw ivory?
The areas with the most poaching are China and Thailand.
Scholastic sCOPE activity • April 2, 2012
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Elephants Webquest
Nonfiction: “How to Save a Baby Elephant” • Skill: Research, page 2 of 3
4. What area has the highest level of poaching?
5. Provide an example of how African ivory is smuggled to Asian markets.
Ivory has been discovered concealed within timber shipments leaving Africa for
destinations in Asia, according to Sebogo.
Stop 2: Center for Conservation Biology, University of Washington
Page: Tracking Poached Ivory
Read the research overview to answer the following questions.
6. At what rate is the population of African elephants decreasing because of poaching? How does this compare
with times past?
there is 1.3 million to 500,000 individuals in the eight years between 1979 and 1987.
7. Why has the price of ivory gone up? How might this increase in price affect the people who sell ivory?
the focused law enforcement efforts on Africa’s major poaching hot spots and the
newsworthiness and excitement that this actionable science brings to the problem is
helping to facilitate these objectives.
Scholastic sCOPE activity • April 2, 2012
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Central Africa consistently displays the highest levels of poaching.
Nonfiction: “How to Save a Baby Elephant” • Skill: Research, page 3 of 3
Stop 3: Discovery News
Page: “Record Ivory Seizures” in 2011
8. How many large-scale seizures of ivory were made in 2011? How many tons of ivory in total were found in
9. How does 2011 compare with previous years in terms of the amount of illegal ivory seized?
Resources
World Wildlife Fund
• African Elephants: http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/elephants/
african_elephants/
• Elephant Poaching Increases as Ivory Markets Go Unregulated: http://wwf.panda.org/
about_our_earth/species/?200927/Elephant-poaching-increases-as-ivory-markets-gounregulated
Center for Conservation Biology, University of Washington
• Tracking Poached Ivory: http://conservationbiology.net/research-programs/trackingpoached-ivory-2/
Discovery News
• “Record Ivory Seizures” in 2011: http://news.discovery.com/animals/ivoryseizures-2011-111229.html
Scholastic sCOPE activity • April 2, 2012
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2011? About how many elephants does this represent?