South American Wild Cats: Conservation Through Assisted Reproduction
September 2006
South American Wild Cats Find Hope in a Test Tube
Since time immemorial…
Questions
1. True or False?
Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.
- Some types of wild animals were important in Latin American cultures.
True. Since time immemorial felines have been venerated in America, North and South. - The assisted reproduction project is the first attempt to save felines in Latin America.
False. So far the problem has been addressed by introducing new animals into each region with problems of transport and adaptation leading to poor chances of success. Now, the plan is to apply assisted reproduction.
2. Questions
In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions.
- Why has the number of felines in South America fallen recently?
The number of felines has gone down due to human activities. Forests have been reduced so that these animals have little space to live in their habitat. - How do Spanish and Argentine scientists plan to help endangered felines?
They want to resolve the problem by making assisted reproduction using semen from other felines in order to enhance the number of these kinds of animals in the future.
3. Find the words
Find the words in the text that mean:
- decreased (paragraph 1) declined
- possible danger (paragraph 1) threat
- agriculture (paragraph 2) farming
- until now (paragraph 3) so far
4. Complete the sentences
Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets when given.
- If we want wild cats to be reproduced, we have to protect their environment.
- We better stop using the world’s natural resources carelessly (careless).
- The populations of many animal species are very small to make them to survive: soon they will become extinct.
- Complete the following sentence to report what a journalist asked researchers about the project:
“When did you begin your new wild cat project?” The journalist asked … when he began his new wild cat project.
5. Essay
Write about 100 to 150 words on one of the following topics.
- Describe what you can do at home and in your town to protect the environment.
As introduction, I mean that the environment is getting worse.
To improve it I would do more parks for children to avoid contamination by the gas cars.
Also undertake campaigns to raise awareness.
Try, also, that people recycle because many environmental problems are not recycle well.
In my opinion, people care little for nature and that is what must change.
The government should help in this because they do nothing more than roads.
With that pollute more. There is almost no green spaces in the city, only to park.
So you can not live, people need to breathe clean air.
As a conclusion, I think you should think about saving nature.
I, if I ruled, would help reserve it. But I am a teenager and unfortunately my ideas matter little.
- After this text on South American wild cats was published, many readers wrote to the editor of the paper, defending or disagreeing with spending money on saving animals in that region. Give your opinion on the topic.
Mainly, I think that they should save them.
An animal that is saved may end in extinction.
I also have sent a letter, if he had known the news.
It seems very bad in some places leave them defenseless animals.
There is life good and bad people. But I thought that should save but some animals are wild, they put them in reservations. But do not let them down, because that’s too bad. They suffer like humans and do not deserve to go to a laboratory or die in a road run over. I speak from experience, since I have seen many of them. I always feel so sorry and I do not want to watch. But some day this will not respect human beings and other species. I just hope that day comes soon.