Grade 5 Unit 3 Reading to Research

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1. The point of view presented by the author in the article Zoochosis is:

A. animals can get diseases in zoos, but it helps save them from extinction B. visitors are put in harm’s way when they visit zoos C. all animals that pace in their cage have fallen victim to zoochosis D. researchers claim that zoos are harming animals at an alarming rate

2. Identify three pieces of evidence that support the main idea presented in this

article.

Main idea: ____________________________________________________

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The Swazi Eleven Adapted from Zoo Story, by Thomas French by Kelly Boland Hohne

Tom French, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, spent six years studying zoos

and wrote about his experiences in his book Zoo Story. His book opens with the story of eleven elephants who were taken from Swaziland in Africa and flown to zoos in San Diego and Tampa.

It was August 21, 2003 on a Thursday morning. The elephants were in the hold of the plane in crates. Some of them were sleeping on their sides; others were awake and drinking water. Mick Reilly was with them. He and his father ran the Mkhaya and Hlane Game Reserves in Africa where the elephants had lived. Mick had grown up with these elephants. “It’s not so bad,” Mick told the elephants as he refilled their water.

Mick was tired. It had been a long fight to get the elephants on this flight. Animal rights activists had tried to stop the elephants from going to zoos. Groups like Born Free and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) filed a lawsuit and wrote angry letters. The government and even the local newspapers of Swaziland had blamed Mick and his father for sending the elephants to zoos. Mick was upset. Didn’t people understand? The elephants couldn’t stay on the land.

There were too many elephants living in the Mkhaya and Hlane Game Reserves. They were ruining the land. Elephants eat for up to eighteen hours a day. When they eat they tear bark off trees and even knock trees down. Elephants had destroyed so many trees that a big part of the parks was now only black and dead trees. Animals like eagles, owls and vultures had no place to nest. In addition, the black rhino, one of Africa’s most endangered species, also needed the trees to eat. Now the rhino had no food. If the situation continued many animals and plants would be wiped out. Mick and his father tried to find another park nearby, but South Africa was overrun with elephants. No park could take any more. The Reilly’s looked in other

places in Africa but there was a threat of poaching. They did not want their elephants to be shot as trophies and have their tusks sold on the black market. In other parks rangers had killed elephants to make sure the population stayed low. Mick didn’t want to kill his elephants.

Of course, none of this was the elephants’ fault in the first place. In Swaziland, as in other parts of Africa, elephants have struggled to survive. Humans have taken so much land in Africa and occupy so much space that most animals are confined inside game parks. Fifty years ago there weren’t even any elephants in Swaziland. They had all died or been killed off by hunters. Mick’s father, Ted, tried to help. He built three parks to protect endangered species. The elephants arrived in 1987 and they survived so well in the parks, there were soon too many of them.

Humans had created this problem. Now it was up to humans to fix it. Zoos were the only option.

“On this plane I’m giving them a chance,” Mick thought. Before his family had agreed to send the animals to zoos Mick had visited the zoos and talked to the keepers. He saw that the elephants would be treated well and given as much space as possible. He said the animal clinic at the San Diego Zoo was better than any hospital in Swaziland.

The zoos offered to pay $12,000 for each elephant and Mick and his family would use the money to protect the other animals in the park and buy more land for the animals.

On August 15th the courts denied the lawsuit filed by animal rights groups. The elephants would go to the zoos. Four would go to Tampa to the Lowry Park Zoo and the other seven were headed to San Diego.

As the plane began its final descent toward Tampa, the elephants were restless. Mick knew the trip could not be easy for them. Surely, they would wonder about the strange noises and rumblings around them. Surely, they would be confused. He was certain the elephants were hungry after the long flight. Mick went to the elephants and stroked each one. “Kunekudla lukunengi,” he told them. “There’s lots of food where you’re going.”

3. Explain the similarities and difference in opinions of what is best for elephants between Mick Rilley and the animal activists. Be sure to use specific information from Swazi Eleven to support your answer. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. If you wanted to locate evidence to support the claim of why zoos are beneficial, which of the following selections of text would you draw information from?

a. Swazi Eleven, paragraph 3 b. Zoochosis, paragraph 3 c. Zoochosis, paragraph 6 d. Swazi Eleven, paragraph 4

Explain how the information in that selection of text would help you develop an

argument.

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5. Explain the information that can be inferred from the graphic titled “Life Span

of Female Elephants in Zoos and the Wild”.

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Zoos: The Historical Debate Adapted from an article on Globalanimal.org

For hundreds of years, people have flocked to zoos to see wild animals up close. But many believe that keeping an animal in a zoo is not in the best interest of the animal. Read on for both sides of this debate, told from the perspective of an animal rights activist. — Global Animal Humans have a fascination with wild animals. Every year, millions of people go on safaris, board whale-watching cruises and watch Jeff Corwin get attacked by snakes on Animal Planet; others drive to their local zoo for a full day of animal gazing. Millions of people visit the thousands of zoos around the world. We never seem to get tired of watching wildlife! Depending on your point of view, though, zoos are either places of education and conservation or unnecessary prisons. While some people argue that zoos play an important role in conservation of endangered animals, others say that zoos do more harm than good. So which is it? Are zoos good or bad? One Side of the Story: Education, Conservation, Entertainment Zoos have improved a lot in the last 4,000 years. They are no longer filled with cages of cold cement and steel bars. These days, most zoos create friendlier environment for animals. They include moats or ditches to separate animals from people, and mini-habitats that look like the animals’ natural environment. The procedure for acquiring animals has also changed. Zoos used to capture most of their animals directly from the wild. Now, however, they get their animals through captive breeding programs and other zoos. Some breeding programs also help to restore threatened species. After 10 years of working to strengthen the population numbers of the endangered California condor, a type of vulture, the Los Angeles and San Diego zoos were able to rebuild a population of fewer than two dozen birds to around 170 birds! Some zoos also take in abandoned animals that wouldn’t otherwise have a home. Both the Baltimore Zoo and the Detroit Zoo have taken in polar bears rescued from a traveling circus, and the Bronx Zoo took in an orphaned snow leopard from

Pakistan in 2007. The cub, Leo, now spends his time frolicking and chasing small animals that wander into his enclosure. And although zoo animals aren’t treated quite like guests at a four-star hotel, their care has improved a lot. Zookeepers now understand that many animals, such as monkeys, bears and elephants, need engaging activities to prevent boredom. This is why you’ll often see chimps playing with toys or tigers “hunting” for a meal. Zoos also give scientists a chance to conduct research. In 2002, zoos participated in 2,230 research and conservation projects in more than 80 countries. The information they gather helps them to develop new medicines and techniques to improve animal health. Beyond the positive impact zoos try to have on animals, they often affect the people visiting as well. Zoos don’t just entertain, they also try to educate. With a variety of programs geared toward children and adults, zoos teach people about the needs of animals and the importance of conservation. The fact that zoos impact people in a positive way is nice, but it’s not the people critics worry about — it’s the animals. Another Perspective: Wild Animals Are Meant to Be Wild Maggie the elephant is a perfect example of why zoos are not good. For years, Maggie was forced to spend her days in a small indoor enclosure because it was too cold for her to go outside. The zoo put an elephant-sized treadmill in her cage so that she could exercise, but she refused to use it. It can be incredibly difficult to provide for the needs of animals like elephants. If Maggie and other zoo elephants lived in the wild, they would wander as much as 30 miles a day in large groups, grazing on leaves and stopping to splash in watering holes. In a zoo, they’re lucky to get a few acres and a roommate or two. Maggie’s story is just one of many. Zebras at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. starved to death because of insufficient or incorrect food, and the same zoo’s red pandas died after eating rat poison.

The Animal Welfare Act in the United States sets standards for zoos here, and some conditions have improved—but some say it is still not good enough. Although natural-looking habitats are more attractive, people like David Hancocks, a zoo consultant and former zoo director, describe them as mere illusions. The animals’ homes look prettier, but they really aren’t any better than they were before. Indeed, many captive animals exhibit signs of severe distress: People have witnessed elephants bobbing their heads, bears pacing back and forth and wild cats obsessively grooming themselves. Zoos may not even benefit people as much as we once thought. According to one study, many visitors don’t pay much attention to the animals — they’re actually talking to each other about unrelated things and spending only a few minutes at each display. It is unclear whether zoos are good or bad for animals. As you’ve seen, it depends

a lot on what zoo you’re talking about, and what the animals are experiencing. If

you could talk to animals, Leo the snow leopard would probably tell you that zoos

are great; however Maggie the elephant might respond by slapping you with her

trunk.

6. Identify the multiple perspectives that this article presents. Include important

similarities and differences that are mentioned in support of the point of view

they represent.

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7. Suppose you needed to give a presentation to your class on why zoos should

not exist. Write an opening statement that identifies your stance and presents

three strong pieces of evidence in support of your claim. Use evidence from all

articles/visuals.

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ANSWER KEY

The standard(s) assessed in each question is/are in parentheses at the end of the line. 1. Answer: D (RI.1) 2. Answer: Use the rubric to score the constructed response. (RI.1)

Full credit: Score 2 The student selects a main idea surrounding the idea of zoos harming animals and selects three appropriate pieces of evidence to support it (Example: causes disease called zoochosis, animals pace around and injure themselves, animal was killed from being confined to small location, etc.)

Partial credit: Score 1 The student selects a main idea surrounding the idea of zoos harming animals but does not provide three appropriate pieces of evidence to support it

No credit: Score 0 The student does not choose a the correct main idea and/or does not provide three appropriate pieces of evidence

3. Answer: Use the rubric to score the constructed response. (RI. 3&6)

Full credit: Score 2 The student identifies similarities and differences in opinions using evidence from Swazi Eleven (Example: Mick Rilley-there were too many elephants living in the reserves, destroy trees, needed by other endangered species, not enough reserves to host the elephants,threat of peaching in other areas, etc. Animal Activists-do not want them in zoos, filed lawsuits, wrote letters, etc.)

Partial credit: Score 1 The student identifies either similarities or differences only between Mick Rilley and/or the animal activists.

No credit: Score 0 The student does not identify similarities or differences of Mick Rilley and the animal activists accurately.

4. Answer: D. (RI.7) (Score 1 point)

Open-Ended (Score 2 points) (RI.7) Example: Elephants were ruining the land and leaving the

parks with black and dead trees, destroyed the majority of the park, etc. Shows the damage

being caused in the reserves.

5. Answer: Example: Shows that the life spans of two different species of elephants in the wild

are longer. On average, an African Elephant lives 30-40 years longer than an elephant in

captivity. An Asian Elephant lives over 20 years longer. (RI. 7)

6. Answer: A (Score 2 points) (RI.3&6)

Use the rubric to score the constructed response.

Full credit: Score 2 Student would identify the perspectives of for and against zoos. Students would select appropriate pieces of evidence to support both sides.(Examples: For Zoos: educates the public and researchers, helps endangered and abandoned species, give activities to prevent boredom, conduct research, etc. Against Zoos: enclosed in confined spaces, insufficient or incorrect food, animals can exhibit signs of distress in the habitat created in a zoo, etc.) Similarities: both recognize that zoos have improved.

Partial credit: Score 1 Student identifies the perspective of either for OR against zoos, or student does not provide appropriate pieces of evidence to support both sides.

No credit: Score 0 Student does not identify multiple perspectives AND does not provide appropriate pieces of evidence to support the sides.

7. Use the rubric to score the constructed response (Score 3 points) (RI.9)

Full credit: Score 3 The student identified their stance and integrates information across all three articles.

Partial credit: Score 2 The student identifies their stance but does not integrate information across all articles.

Minimal credit: Score 1 The student identifies their stance but only uses evidence from one article to support their response.

No credit: Score 0 The student does not state their stance or present three strong pieces of evidence across multiple texts.