OCEAN VOICES€¦ · endangered, and what is being done to help them. ... oceans. One major problem...

OCEAN VOICES

Welcome to the first ever edition of Wildtrack Magazine, a brand new magazineabout wildlife especially for young people. We know that young people take a keeninterest in the natural world – this magazine offers you a new way of finding outmore about some of the amazing plants and animals with which we share thisplanet.

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FROM THE EDITOR OF WILDTRACK MAGAZINE

Each issue will take an in-depth look at a different kind of creature. You’ll find out just

how our behaviour can affect the lives of other living creatures, and what we think shouldbe done to protect them. It’s our view that the more we can find out about creatures intheir natural habitats, the more we can learn how to help them to survive in the wild.

We’ll bring you information, reports, maps, stories, photographs . . . just about anythingwhich reminds us how wonderful the world of nature is.

In future editions you’ll be able to learn more about the feeding habits of the fruit bat, andalso explore the mysterious underground world of the earthworm.

LDTRACK

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For this first edition, called Ocean Voices, we’re featuring one of the largest and most

extraordinary creatures on the planet – the whale. We’ve collected some fascinating andat times surprising information. Did you know, for example, that although whales live inthe water, they are not fish? And some of the biggest types, like blue whales, grey whalesand humpback whales, don’t even have teeth.

If you’re lucky enough to see a whale in the ocean it can be an unforgettable experience.Read Lucy Carter’s account of her trip and you’ll have a new ambition in life.

We haven’t forgotten that these amazing mammals are in need of protection, if they are tosurvive in the wild. Our survival guide gives details of why many types of whale areendangered, and what is being done to help them.

Prepare to be amazed as you join us on Wildtrack Magazine’ s own whale watchingjourney – starting now!

Editor

James Field (SGA illustrator’s agents, Hadleigh, Suffolk IP7 5AP)

People travel great distances to watch whales in their natural environment.Lucy Carter is one of them. She went whale watching off the coast ofCanada in 1999, and her first trip made a deep impression on her.

Editor

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These questions are on From the Editor of Wildtrack Magazine

Choose the best word or group of words to fit the passage and put a ring around your choice.

1. This edition of Wildtrack Magazine is called

1 mark

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2. The editor says that a future edition of Wildtrack Magazine will be about

1 mark

3. Wildtrack Magazine is a magazine especially for

1 mark

4. Wildtrack Magazine has not been published before.

Find and copy a phrase which tells you this.

1 mark

5. Which of these statements best represents the editor’s views?

Tick one box.

People are more interesting than animals.

People are doing nothing to help whales.

All wildlife is extraordinary and fascinating.

Wildlife is only really interesting if you see it for yourself.

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6. The first paragraph on the third page tells you

Put a ring around your choice.1 mark

7. Give two different ways in which the editor encourages you to read the rest of the magazine.

1. ...........................................................................................................................

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2. ...........................................................................................................................

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WHALES IN DANGER – why?

Being hunted used to be the main threat to whales living in the wild. For many centuries, whaleswere wanted for their meat, oil and bones. In the 1980s, it was agreed that most hunting ofwhales should stop, because many species of whale were becoming endangered. This actionhas helped many species of whale to grow in number.

But whales still face other threats to survival, due to the way that humans are using the seas andoceans. One major problem is pollution. Large amounts of waste from factories have beendumped in some of our oceans, and sometimes oil spills into the seas.

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Such activities can lead to the poisoning of whales and other sea creatures. Whales can also beharmed by careless fishing: they can become injured or entangled in the enormous fishing netsused to catch large amounts of fish.

Wildlife organisations throughout the world are helping everyone to realise how important it is toprotect the whale, and treat the ocean with respect. By understanding more about why whalesare in danger, we can continue to find ways to care for them, and increase their chances ofsurvival.

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Whales in danger GUIDEWildlife experts are carefully monitoring the numbers of different whale species, and identifyingthe dangers that they face.

Whales may be classified as endangered (facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild, fairlysoon) or vulnerable (facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, not too far ahead in the future).The table shows some examples.

TYPE OF WHALE MAIN THREATS

Humpback whale Disturbance fromhuman activity, when thewhales are feeding nearcoastlines.

Blue whale Illegal hunting

Grey whale Disturbance from humanactivity when the whales arefeeding in shallow waters, andentanglement with fishingnets.

Northern right whale Entanglement with fishingnets, and collisions with ships

Fin whale Pollution in the ocean.

Pictures 1 - Mark Newman/FLPA - IMAGES OF NATURE with thanks to Jean Hosking

Pictures 2-4 - FLPA - IMAGES OF NATURE with thanks to Jean Hosking

Picture 5 - Robin Chittendon/FLPA - IMAGES OF NATURE with thanks to Jean Hosking

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Imagine that an endangered whale could write a letter. What would thewhale say? Young writer Louise Plater asked herself just this question. Sheimagined that she was a blue whale, and wrote this letter.

James Gritz – PhotoDisc

Editor

These questions are on Whales in Danger

1. Write down two ways in which people can help whales.

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2. ...................................................................................................................

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2. … treat the ocean with respect.

Explain what these words mean and why you think the reporter used them in this article.

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3. (a) Why has some of the information about whales been presented as a table?

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Whales in danger GUIDE

Wildlife experts are carefully monitoring the numbers of different whale species, and identifyingthe dangers that they face.

Whales may be classified as endangered (facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild, fairlysoon) or vulnerable (facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, not too far ahead in the future).The table shows some examples.

(b) Why have these words been stamped across the pictures?

Give two reasons.

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2. ...........................................................................................................

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The Battle for the Beaches

Turtle numbers are falling fast.This article looks at the problem and what we can do to help.

Threatened Sea TurtlesTurtle numbers are falling fast. In order to protect turtles, marine

nature reserves have been set up and protection plans put in place.Sadly, many of these do not work as turtles swim freely from country

to country. Turtles may be safe in some areas but not in others asdifferent countries have different protection laws.

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Turtle Conservation In Karachi

In Karachi, Pakistan, there is a verysuccessful programme to protect the Greenand Pacific Ridley turtles which nest alongthe sandy beaches near the city.

Every night, the beach is patrolled by turtleguards. Whenever they find a female digginga nest they wait patiently nearby and, onceshe has finished laying, collect her eggs.These are taken to enclosures, which areguarded 24 hours a day.

When the tiny turtles hatch, several weekslater, they are carefully placed in a

bucket and taken to the sea to be released.

Another of the major aims of Pakistan’s turtleprogramme is to teach people about the value ofsea turtles. Guided tours are arranged for visitorsto the beaches and parties of school children aretaken for exciting night-time visits to watch theanimals.

The project is extremely successful: the turtlesand their eggs are now well protected, and localpeople take a real interest in the animals’welfare.

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Flatback - still common Leatherback - extremely rare

Loggerhead - seriously threatened Pacific Ridley - extremely rare

Turtles or Tourists in Saltos?

Every summer thousands of Loggerhead turtles travel across the oceansto lay their eggs on the soft, sandy beaches of Saltos.

In recent years their numbers have been falling.

Saltos - a safe haven?

The Mediterranean island of Saltos is beautiful.Its rolling hills are crowned with cypress treesand olive groves. vineyards snuggle in thevalleys. Saltos’ golden beaches are the nestinggrounds for the Loggerhead turtle.

Fifteen years ago tourists were almost unknownin Saltos. Now, holiday-makers swarmeverywhere, driving cars on to the beaches andplaying loud music. This is bad news for theturtles. They do not like noise, they areconfused by bright lights (which cause them tocrawl inland instead of towards the sea) andthey hate crowds.

Although the females usually wait until darkbefore coming ashore to lay their eggs, theyoften come face-to-face with dozens of eager

tourists, each armed with a torch and a camera.If they do lay their eggs, there is every chancethat, next morning, clumsy sunbathers willstamp on them.

Keeping turtles and tourists apart

Some of the turtles’ favourite beaches are nowprotected by strict laws, but these are largelyignored by hotel owners. As they depend ontourism for their living, they do not seem tocare that turtles’ nesting sites are destroyed bythe building of new hotels. The bulldozers,used to remove the rubbish left by lazy tourists,continue to destroy nests every day.

The Prime Minister of Saltos and the Chief ofPolice are on the side of the turtles. Let us hopethat they can persuade people to obey the law.Otherwise, there will soon be nowhere left forthe animals to go.

These questions are about the article The Battle for the Beaches.

1. Look at the information on Turtle Species.

Which type of turtle is not in danger of dying out?

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2. Look at this page from your booklet.

Look at paragraph A.

The writing is larger and the words are more spread out than in the other sections.

What is the effect of this?

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3. In the passage Threatened Sea Turtles, find and copy the words or phrases which are nearestin meaning to the following.

decreasing ............................................................................................................

established ...........................................................................................................

unfortunately ........................................................................................................

function ................................................................................................................2 marks

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Look at the information on turtle conservation in Karachi to help you answer thesequestions.

4. Name two kinds of turtles which nest along the beaches of Karachi.

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2. ...........................................................................................................................1 mark

5 (a) Apart from the beach patrol guards, name two other things that the organisers of the turtleprogramme have started doing.

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2 ...................................................................................................................2 marks

(b) What are the two main results of the turtle protection programme?

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2 ...................................................................................................................2 marks

Look at the information on Saltos.

6. What kind of turtles nest in Saltos?

1 mark

7. Name two things that make Saltos an attractive place for tourists.

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2. ...........................................................................................................................1 mark

8. What makes the turtles crawl inland?

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9. List four different things that holiday-makers do which cause problems for the turtles.

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2. ...........................................................................................................................

3. ...........................................................................................................................

4. ...........................................................................................................................2 marks

10. In the information about Saltos, it is written that

holiday-makers swarm everywhere.

Why is this an effective way of describing how the holiday-makers behave?

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Use all the information to help you answer these questions.

11. Laws have been passed to protect turtles.

Write down two reasons why these have not been very successful.

1. ...........................................................................................................................

2. ...........................................................................................................................2 marks

12. Do you think the writer of Turtles or Tourists in Saltos is mainly on the side of the turtles ortourism?

Turtles Tourism

Find and copy two phrases which make you think this.

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2. ...........................................................................................................................2 marks

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13. Look at the subheading

Saltos – a safe haven?

Why do you think the author has written this in the form of a question?

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14. Different views are expressed in the article:The Battle for the Beaches.

This is what turtle supporters have said:

What do you think hotel owners would say in answer to the turtle supporters?

Write your answer in the speech bubble.

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Armies of volunteers have been out trudging the fields of Britain to provide up-to-date information on thefleet-of-foot cousin of the far more common rabbit. Hares are the hotted-up hatchbacks of the animalworld. Their powerful hind limbs, tipped with two 15-centimetre-long feet, can take them from nought to45 miles per hour in a matter of seconds, and a kick of the legs can catapult the animal more than 4metres. Despite their powers of acceleration hares can disappear in the blink of an eye, even withoutmoving, as they prefer to press themselves flat against the ground rather than run. Not being seen is eveneasier than not being outrun, and laying back those long, black tipped ears and merging with the earth isoften a sure way of confusing a predator that is poised to chase.

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There is a slight snag with this strategy if the victim is unable to tell the difference between a tractor and afox. When a tractor approaches the hare sits tight and is often killed. This may be one reason why the firstdetailed survey of brown hares living in Britain revealed that the population had dropped by 80 per centsince 1900. The new national hare survey, conducted by Mike Hutchings and Stephen Harris from theUniversity of Bristol for the Joint Nature Conservancy Council (JNCC), estimates that only 817,000 haresnow roam the countryside, compared to some four or five million at the beginning of the century.

“The problem seems to be twofold. First, the harvesting of silage has increased in intensity and hares arekilled by the harvesting machines. In addition there has been an increase in livestock and we know thathare numbers decrease as livestock increases.”

This is not the only reason why hares are dying. Crop spraying has been killing them, too, zoologistJulian Brown recalls. During his research, some six years ago, he checked a carrot field not long afterpesticide application and was horrified at the result. “We were surveying for partridges,” he explained“but were having to drive around the corpses of hares.”

Spotting a hare while on a winter’s walk is not, therefore, as easy as it used to be. “If you see a hare inthis country now, it’s unusual enough to warrant stopping and having a good look,” says GordonMcGlone, director of the Gloucestershire Trust. It carried out its own simple survey of hares more thanfive years ago and found that distribution was already patchy. “There have been some improvements sincethen with policies such as set-aside coming in, but I’m not at all surprised by the results of this survey,”says McGlone. “I’ve just been over in Norfolk and we had five hares in view at once. I found that quiteextraordinary. You just do not see that any more in Gloucestershire.”

Hares seem to be up against problems in all directions. Even farmers, who are normally sympathetic tohares, are shooting them, not because they cause excessive damage to crops but simply to discouragepoachers. More winter wheat is now being grown, depriving summer leverets of their crucial grazingwhen they are born in March and April. The hare may be fast, but it cannot outrun the advance of modernagriculture.

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Tom Tew, mammal specialist at the JNCC, will now be studying Harris’s data closely to determine thebest conservation action to be taken. “Although the brown hare is, technically, an introduced species – itwas brought to the UK by the Romans – most people now feel that it is a natural and welcome addition toour wildlife. The JNCC and other countryside agencies will be working closely together to try to ensurethat this apparent decline in numbers and distribution is both halted and reversed.”

He was unwilling to indicate what kind of policy approach might be required. But the likelihood is thatchanges in agricultural practices will be necessary, perhaps coupled with laws which give hares greaterprotection. Whatever the decision, it must not come too late. The hare has been running from modernagriculture for too long and it is only matter of time before it runs out of breath.

© Hare today, gone tomorrow printed with kind permission of the editor,

Natural World magazine, published by Wildlife Trust.

Hare today, gone tomorrow

1. Trevor Lawson describes hares as the hotted-up hatchbacks of the animal world (paragraph 1).

Why do you think he describes them in this way?

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2. The hare may be fast, but it cannot outrun the advance of modern agriculture (paragraph 6).

The hare has been running from modern agriculture for too long and it is only a matter of timebefore it runs out of breath (paragraph 8).

(a) What do these two sentences tell us about the relationship between hares and modernagriculture?

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(b) What do you notice about the way the author has expressed this idea?

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The booklet Hare contains two different pieces of writing in two different styles.

1. Which do you prefer? Explain your reasons.

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2. Both the story Hare’s Choice and the article Hare today, gone tomorrow give you informationabout hares. Use both texts to help you fill in the spaces in this table.Try to write at least two points in each space.

INFORMATION ABOUT HARESfrom

Hare’s Choice Hare today, gone tomorrow

Appearance

Styleof running

Behaviour whenconfronted with a

motor vehicle

Causes ofdeath

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OCEAN VOICES€¦ · endangered, and what is being done to help them. ... oceans. One major problem...

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Transcript of OCEAN VOICES€¦ · endangered, and what is being done to help them. ... oceans. One major problem...