Adam Wyett PRO
I am an ESL teacher based in Saint Etienne, France. I use Slides to share and present my presentations live while teaching group-classes in lo-tech environments.
Upper-Intermediate |
Killer Wildlife
- What are some examples of wildlife that you might see in your local area? Have you ever seen any wild animals?
- Did you see them in the wild, in a conservation area, at the zoo, or at the circus?
- What are some of the most interesting or unusual wildlife facts? Do you ever watch wildlife documentaries?
- Some people like to keep wild or exotic animals as pets. What do you think about that?
- What are some of the major threats to wildlife around the world? How do human activities impact wildlife populations?
- What are some of the adaptations that animals have evolved to help them survive in their environments?
- Which animals would you consider to be the most dangerous for humans?
Warm-up | Discussion
Vocabulary |
Guess Who! Animal Edition
- Egg dumping is a common behavior among birds , and probably started to mitigate the risk of predation.
- Obligate brood parasites are birds that don't make their own nests.
- Parasitic birds always add to a nest.
- The shiny cowbird drops his eggs to abandon its offspring.
- Birds recognise their eggs based on the markings on their eggshells.
- Parasitic hachlings mimic the characteristics of its hosts hatchlings to avoid detection.
- Cuckoo babies play wrestling in the nest.
- Cowbird chicks are often a lot bigger than their host parents.
- Parasites will return and destroy the nest when they take their baby back.
Pre-Listening | True or False
to lay an egg
to stumble upon
deceptive
to hatch
to peck
arse / ass / butt
blind
tit for tat
- Egg dumping is a common behavior among birds , and probably started to mitigate the risk of predation.
- Obligate brood parasites are birds that don't make their own nests.
- Parasitic birds always add to a nest.
- The shiny cowbird drops his eggs to abandon its offspring.
- Birds recognise their eggs based on the markings on their eggshells.
- Parasitic hachlings mimic the characteristics of its hosts hatchlings to avoid detection.
- Cuckoo babies play wrestling in the nest.
- Cowbird chicks are often a lot bigger than their host parents.
- Parasites will return and destroy the nest when they take their baby back.
Listening | True or False
- T, 2. T, 3. F, 4. F, 5. T, 6. T, 7. F, 8. T, 9. F
- Don't put all your eggs in one basket
- Take out the competition.
- Get your butt kicked.
- They're in the woods!
- Have beef (e.g. with your sibling)
- Put the cat among the pigeons
- They're opening a real can of worms
- They're working at a snail's pace
a) be lost, in danger, in difficulty.
b) lose badly in a game
c) very slowly
d) have an unresolved dispute
e) do or say something likely to cause a problem or controversy
f) They're going to create complications. It might be better to to not procede and leave it alone!
g) You shouldn't concentrate all your efforts and resources in one area.
h) Eliminate your competitors
Vocabulary | Idioms and slang
- Have you ever been to a wildlife reserve? What did you see there?
- Is it ethical to keep pets?
- Should consumers be held responsible for purchasing products derived from illegally traded animals? Why or why not?
- Have you ever had butterflies in your stomach? What happened?
- What is your opinion on the use of animals in the entertainment industry, such as circuses and zoos? Do you believe this constitutes animal trafficking?
- What is your opinion on the role of education and awareness-raising campaigns in reducing demand for wildlife products?
Warm-up | Discussion
- What kinds of rainforest animals do you think traffickers sell as pets?
- How much do you think traffickers can sell a rare or exotic bird for?
- Why do you think traffickers prefer to steal baby animals from the Amazon rainforest?
- How do you think the traffickers transport animals to other cities and hide them from the police?
- What happens to the stolen animals when traffickers are caught by the police?
- Why can it be dangerous to keep pets from the jungle (e.g. monkeys) in your home?
Pre-Reading | Animal Trafficking
Brazil has a huge diversity of creatures, especially in the Amazon rainforest, but every year thieves steal over 38 million animals and sell them as pets. The pet trade in Brazil is worth about $2 billion. Who is the animal trafficker, the vet and the police officer?
There are laws against animal trafficking, but it’s difficult for us to catch these guys, as they’re very organised. Animal traffickers work in large teams, including international contacts, motorcyclists and kids who warn them when we’re coming. The traffickers are fast – and smart too. They quickly send dead animals to markets where they’re sold for meat. Some animal parts are made into objects and sold to tourists (e.g. rugs from jaguar skins, bags from crocodiles and jewellery from turtle shells). We mostly try to stop the traffic of live animals. Usually they’re carefully hidden (in socks or bags) and transported by motorbike. When we catch traffickers, they pay a fine or go to prison for a year and then try again. I think the government should give them much stricter punishments and punish all the people who help them! It should also give us more officers, because right now we just don’t have enough.
Many Brazilians are unemployed, so we find other ways to make money. Colourful or exotic birds are the best. We can sell a typical bird for about $150, but a rare macaw can sell for $10,000. We send some animals abroad, but Brazil is the easiest market, because so many people in Brazil keep birds in cages. Exotic pets, like iguanas, monkeys and snakes, are popular pets here too. So don’t blame us! People want animals so we provide them. Besides, there are millions more animals in the jungle! The problem for us is transporting them. We have to hide them from the police. Since babies are easiest to transport, we usually catch baby animals. Then we tape or cut the birds’ beaks, so they don’t make a noise. We sew the mouths of iguanas and tie their feet. Bigger animals don’t fit in small spaces, so we break their bones. Sometimes we get caught, but instead of paying the fine we just bribe the police
When traffickers are caught, the stolen animals are sent to us at rescue centres. Our job is to feed and look after them (most animals are injured). We put them back in their habitat, but first we have to teach them to fly (or move) again and how to find food. Every year we do this for around 7,000 animals, but the problem never ends. People who buy exotic pets are part of the problem! They need to understand that animals shouldn’t live in cages. They also don’t realise that the pets can bring diseases into their homes. Animal traffickers destroy Brazil’s animal diversity, cause destruction of the tropical rainforests and commit cruelty to animals. For example, they cut down trees to capture the baby birds. Then they take the babies away from their mothers and their natural habitat. They hurt them on the journey (around 90 per cent don’t survive capture and transport). But traffickers don’t care. I think they should work in a ‘rehab’ centre for a year as a punishment, like community service. If they saw what we see, they would stop.
A
B
C
- Which crimes do animal traffickers commit?
- What punishments should they receive?
Look at this crime. What punishment would you give?
- An animal trafficker stole a baby bird by cutting down a tree. He took the baby away from its habitat and mother. The bird was hidden in a sock and it died on the journey to a pet shop.
Post-Reading | Animal Trafficking
Upper-Intermediate | KIller Wildlife
By Adam Wyett
