Year 5 and 6 – Can We Save the Sumatran Tiger? The Zoo Project – The Illegal Wildlife Trade Name_____________________ Class __________________ Vocabulary Check Throughout this sequence of learning write a definition of the language below to clarify your understanding in the context of the topic. subspecies solitary nocturnal ambush commercial curtailing mitigate agricultural growth poaching coexist stealthy consumer producer Moral dilemma Farmers’ Meeting You are a poor farmer in a village in the town of Sumatra, Indonesia. A predator has arrived that is slowly killing all your livestock and destroying your livelihood. Later on, you will come together for a meeting of local farmers to debate and decide what to do. What will you do about this monster? In a group, role play a debate in the local farmers’ meeting discussing what you will do about this problem. Taking into account all the points you discussed during your debate, and the new information you have been given, write an informal letter to your farmer friend reaching a conclusion to solve the issue that is ruining your livelihood. ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ______________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ savage vulture predator livestock monster livelihood menace capture ensnare imprison Begin by populating the word map with the 7 continents and 5 oceans. Using the information given and a map key, outline the ‘Tigers of the World’ and whether they are endangered or critically endangered. The Sumatran Tiger Tigers are the LARGEST of the big cats, and the largest carnivorous land mammal in the world. Their natural habitat extends across Asia from Russia through to Sumatra and Indochina. Of the nine subspecies of tiger, three are already extinct – Bali, Caspian and Javan. Sumatran tigers are the smallest of the subspecies. They have webbed paws, which means that they are brilliant swimmers and they often take to the water to cool off. Their stunning coats of orange and black stripes are unique to each animal and help them to camouflage by breaking up their body shape. Sumatran tigers have stripes which are closer together than other tigers. They are solitary animals, only coming together to mate. Gestation takes about 100 days from mating to birth, and baby tigers will remain with their mothers for up to 2 years. A litter can be between 1 and 7 cubs. Sumatran tigers are found only on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. They live in tropical or evergreen forests, grasslands and mangrove swamps, coexisting with an abundance of species, including the Orangutan, the Javan Rhinoceros & Sumatran Elephants, seemingly harmoniously. Tigers are carnivores usually hunting at night about once a week, making them a nocturnal species. As strong and stealthy predators they ambush their prey, which usually consists of wild pigs or water buffalo. There are only 200 Sumatran tigers left in the wild. Clearing of native forests for agricultural growth and poaching for body parts are the two primary factors leading to a mitigating decline in the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) populations. Most tigers in Sumatra are killed deliberately for commercial gain. According to a survey from TRAFFIC, the global wildlife trade monitoring network, poaching for trade is responsible for over 78% of estimated Sumatran tiger deaths— amounting to at least 40 animals per year. Despite intensified conservation and protection measures in Sumatra and the apparent global success in curtailing markets for tiger bone, there is no evidence that tiger poaching has declined significantly on the island since the early 1990s. Although it is illegal to hunt Sumatran tigers, this has not stopped the poaching of these animals for tiger products. China is considered the largest consumer and producer of manufactured products containing tiger parts, though tiger bones and other tiger products have been found in Taiwan and South Korea, and in North American cities. HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT Habitat destruction forces tigers into settled areas in search of food and where they are more likely to come into conflict with people. Human-tiger conflict is a serious problem in Sumatra. People have been killed or wounded, and livestock fall prey to tigers. Retaliatory action by villagers can result in the killing of tigers. The Sumatran tiger is considered to be a ‘critically’ endangered species. Let’s Quiz Answer the following questions to test your knowledge so far. 1. In what part of the world will you find the Sumatran tiger? _______________________________________________________ 2. Describe the tiger’s natural habitat in the wild. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 3. What is meant by the word coexist? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 4. Describe the Sumatran tiger’s appearance and how this aids survival. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 5. Why may a Sumatran tiger find itself close to the inhabited villages? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 6. Why may the poor farmers of Indonesia consider killing a tiger, even though they are a critically endangered species? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Scan the QR code and respond to the following questions. Can We Save the Tiger? Martin Jenkins Why do people hunt tigers? Why don’t tigers mix well with humans? Why do people hunt tigers? Why do tigers need a lot of space? Can we save the tiger? Compare and Contrast Natural habitat Artificial habitat Location Tiger facts (continent, country, climate and (anatomical features) surrounding seas) Habitat (physical features) natural habitat thinking about the physical features in the environment. the in features physical about the thinking habitat natural Sketch and label a Sumatran tiger’s tiger’s a Sumatran label Sketch and Using our trip to Chester Zoo, sketch and label a Sumatran Tiger’s habitat in captivity. in habitat Tiger’s a Sumatran label and sketch Zoo, Chester to our trip Using State the similarities between the two habitats. ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ What are the differences between the habitat in the wild and the one in captivity? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Is it ever right to keep animals in a confined space? Explain your answer. ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________