Easter Bilby in Australia, the Easter...Bilby?

Easter Bilby Pre-Intermediate Instant Lesson™ english-to-go.com Pre-Reading Activities A: Vocabulary Here are some words from today’s articles. Unscramble them. tpse - an animal or insect that destroys plants, trees etc. saEtre gge - usually made of chocolate and given at Easter bnnyu - another name for the rabbit

Reading Activities A: True or False? Decide whether the statements below are true (T) or false (F) according to the news article. 1. Bilbies have pouches and long ears. 2. There are few rabbits in Australia. 3. Conservationists want Australians to have the rabbit as an Easter symbol. 4. Rabbits have always lived in Australia. 5. There are bilbies made of chocolate in some shops at Easter.

In Australia, the Easter...Bilby? 1. SYDNEY, Fri Apr 06 (Reuters) - The Easter Bunny [may not a Sydney wildlife park, would like to make the Easter Bunny a always be an Easter symbol] in Australia, as conservationists in thing of the past. Australia move to replace it with the Easter Bilby. 5. “Number one, rabbits are a pest in Australia. Secondly, 2. The bilby is a rare the bilby has these lovely, endearing rabbit-like qualities,” he marsupial that has long said. ears, a long muzzle, silky 6. “Thirdly, the bilby is a beautiful, iconic native animal that fur and a pouch like a is struggling. It is endangered, so it’s important that we do all kangaroo. Males grow to we can to support that.” about the same size as a 7. Chocolate stores around Australia have Easter Bilbies in rabbit. their windows. 3. But the animal is in 8. Some schools have replaced their Easter bunnies with trouble. Only some 600 are bilbies for annual egg hunts. Drinkwater says the introduction still in the wild, and its habitat is being steadily eaten away by of rabbits has done great damage to bilbies. rabbits, which were introduced to Australia. 4. As a result, Mike Drinkwater, who looks after bilbies at ARTICLE © THOMSON REUTERS LIMITED. LESSON © 2014 WWW.ENGLISH-TO-GO.COM

Glossary: symbol - something that represents something else, marsupial - animals like koalas or kangaroos that carry their babies in a pouch, habitat - the place where an animal etc usually lives B: Finding Information Match these ideas with the paragraphs they come from in today's article. (One answer is done for you as an example.) Conservationists want to replace the Easter Bunny with the Easter Bilby. Rabbits are a pest in Australia. Rabbits are destroying the places where the bilbies live. (Answer: Paragraph 2) Male bilbies are as big as rabbits. Chocolate shops sell Easter Bilbies. Bilbies are native Australian animals. Mike Drinkwater takes care of bilbies. Schools in Australia have Easter Bilby Egg Hunts.

ARTICLE © THOMSON REUTERS LIMITED. LESSON © 2014 WWW.ENGLISH-TO-GO.COM 1 C: Summarizing Information Work in pairs with someone who read the same article as you. Take turns to summarize the main ideas of the article. As you do this, do not look at the article. Your partner listens and helps you when you can’t remember or do not understand something.

D: Sharing Information Now work in pairs. Take turns to talk about the article. Make sure you include these points: what conservationists want to do to what native animal they want to replace it with why they want to do this the rabbit in the country

ARTICLE © THOMSON REUTERS LIMITED. LESSON © 2014 WWW.ENGLISH-TO-GO.COM 2 Post-Reading Activities You may do one or more of these. A: Interview English-to-go.com interviewed Frank Manthey, co-founder of the Save The Bilby Fund. Read his answers to our questions. Frank was presented with an Order of Australia Medal in 2012. English-to-go.com: When did you start liking or getting interested in bilbies? Frank Manthey: I have loved all Australian animals including the bilby. English-to-go.com: What was the main reason for starting the Save the Bilby Fund? Frank Manthey: I wanted to help the scientist Peter McRae raise money to build a predator proof fence to save bilbies. English-to-go.com: What challenges do you face with the Save the Bilby Fund? Frank Manthey: Convincing governments and Australians that we need to work together to save our native species so the next generation can see and enjoy what all of us take for granted. English-to-go.com: How are conservationists helping the bilby? Frank Manthey: (Australians) most Australians don’t know what a bilby is. English-to-go.com: Can you tell us anything about Lester, the bilby in the photo? How old is he? Where did you find him? Frank Manthey: Lester is about 6 years old, and he was born in Charleville, he is part of the captive breeding program. English-to-go.com: What does it feel like to hold a bilby like him? Frank Manthey: We now know bilbies have lived in Australia for around 15 million years. In our short 200 years that we have lived in Australia, we have almost wiped it out, I feel so special when I hold a bilby knowing we are so close to losing it. English-to-go.com: What would you most like kids to do? Kids in Australia and kids in other places? Frank Manthey: Make sure that you tell your parents to buy Pink Lady Chocolate bilbies at Easter, and try and learn what great animals you share this country with. English-to-go.com: Which companies are supporting the Save the Bilby Fund? Frank Manthey: Pink Lady. English-to-go.com: What makes rabbits such a dangerous pest in Australia? Frank Manthey: Because they destroy our agriculture land, our native shrubs and grasses. English-to-go.com: Do you like chocolate?

B: Comprehension Read this true story about Luke Curnow, a boy who loved bilbies. Luke Curnow was a little Australian boy who loved bilbies. He had a favorite soft toy, a bilby puppet with soft gray fur and a pointed nose. Luke found out lots of things about bilbies. One day he met Frank Manthey at a kite festival in Brisbane. Frank was teaching people about bilbies and collecting money for the Save The Bilby Fund. Luke was very excited to touch a bilby. Sadly, Luke got cancer and in 2009 he died when he was 7 years old. At Luke's funeral his parents, Steve and Merrin Curnow, told everyone that they would like them to give a donation to the Save the Bilby Fund instead of buying flowers. Steve Curnow now is Secretary for the Save The Bilby Fund. In 2010 the children and parents of Luke's school, Eagle Junction State School, gave over $2,500 to the Save The Bilby Fund. There is a National Bilby Day in Australia on September 9. Frank Manthey said to English-to-go, "I would like you to please show them all this true story of a little boy and his love of bilbies."

You can watch a video clip on this at http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2013/s3724375.htm Here is an article written by his parents: https://www.enviro-print.com.au/SaveTheBilbyFund/2012/pages/news.html Answer these questions: 1. What kind of toy did Luke like best? 2. Where did he see Frank Manthey? 3. What did Luke's parents ask people to do? 4. How much money did the school give to the Save The Bilby Fund? 5. When is National Bilby Day?

C: Research Find out more about the bilby or the kiwi. Find information on the animal you choose including; what it looks like its habitat (where it lives and in what kind of place) what it eats what is special about it.

D: Sharing Information Think of a special day or festival from your country. Prepare a short written description or a short talk about the day or festival. Then present this information to your class.

Reading Activities A: True or False? - Answers 1. T, 2. F (they are a pest), 3. F (they want it to be replaced with the bilby), 4. F (they were introduced to Australia), 5. T.

B: Finding Information - Answers Conservationists want to replace the Easter Bunny with the Easter Bilby. (paragraph 1) Rabbits are a pest in Australia. (paragraph 5) Rabbits are destroying the places where the biblies live. (paragraph 3) Male biblies are as big as rabbits. (paragraph 2) Chocolate shops sell Easter Bilbies. (paragraph 7) Bilbies are native Australian animals. (paragraph 6) Mike Drinkwater takes care of bilbies. (paragraph 4) Schools have Easter Bilby Egg Hunts. (paragraph 8)

Post-Reading Activities B: Comprehension - Answers 1. a bilby puppet, 2. at a kite festival, 3. give money to Save the Bilby Fund, 4. more than $2,500, 5. September 9.

C: Research – Notes For information on bilbies, students may like to look at: https://www.facebook.com/ savethebilby or http://www.savethebilbyfund.com/

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