A Bucket List of Animal Encounters

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1 animal Do you know what a bucket list is? Do you have one? Why is it called a bucket list? Which two places in your own country would you like to add to your travel bucket list? Why? Which two places in the world would you like to add? Why? Are there any wild animals that you would like to see in their own habitat? Would you like to observe them or interact with them? B Read the article below and say which of the holidays you would most like to go on? Huffington Post October 2017 Animal Encounters To Add To Your Bucket List If you love animals and the natural world, you ll surely want some animal encounters on your travel bucket list? From swimming with piglets in the warm Bahamas sea to learning to drive a huskypowered dogsled in Iceland, our ten amazing animal encounters are not only special, but 100% ethical too. Swim with pigs at Pig Beach in the Bahamas We know pigs can t fly, but did you know they can swim? At least, the ones on Exuma in the Bahamas do. On the aptlynamed Pig Beach, a resident herd of around 20 pigs and their piglets go beachcombing along the soft white sand and trot off for regular dips in the warm azure waters. No one really knows how they originally arrived perhaps escaping from shipwrecks, or introduced by seafarers. You can join the pigs for their daily dips by taking a boat tour they ll swim out to greet you. Go dog sledding in Iceland Are you up for an adrenaline rush with a joyous pack of beautiful huskies that just love snow and pulling together as a team? Dog sledding through Iceland s stunning volcanic scenery is a zero-pollution, life-enhancing experience for all ages. With just the sounds of your sled swooshing across snow and the panting of eager dogs on a mission, you ll feel at one with nature as you race through the magnificent landscapes. Stroke a grey whale in Baja, Mexico Would you like to tickle a baby grey whale under its chin? Off the coast of Baja, in Mexico, between February and April, grey whales congregate to socialise, mate and give birth to their calves. They re not shy - they positively seek human company, swimming alongside boats, mischievously nudging, pushing and even gently lifting them out of the water and back down again. The whales, especially the playful young calves, love being scratched and stroked by humans. And if you re not tickling them enough, they ll go off to another boatload of whale watchers who will. Bath an elephant in Chaing 1/4

2 b A Bucket List of Animal Encounters Mai, Thailand Would you like to bath a rescue elephant? Support the work of rescues such as Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand by taking a day or more volunteering to help feed, walk and bath their elephants in the river. Rescued from neglect and abuse in the tourism industry and logging camps, the adult elephants and mischievous youngsters form family groups and behave naturally as they would in the wild. You ll find other rescue animals - dogs, cats and buffalo in and around the park too. Help a leatherback turtle hatchling find the sea in Limón, Costa Rica Would you like to help leatherback turtle hatchlings safely into the sea? Between March and July, huge leatherback turtles haul themselves onto the beach in The Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica to lay their eggs in the sand. About 60 days later, the tiny vulnerable hatchlings dig themselves out and head towards the ocean. You can volunteer for a variety of hands-on projects: measuring turtles, patrolling the beach at night, protecting the nest sites from poachers, collecting eggs for hatching and even helping the tiny emerged hatchlings safely into the water. Roam with the bunnies on Rabbit Island, Japan Can you imagine an island where bunnies run wild and free? Dogs and cats are banned on the popular tourist resort of Okunoshima, or Rabbit Island in Japan, allowing thousands of resident rabbits to roam safely in the forests and pathways. These bunnies are incredibly tame and come running at the sound of a rustling food packet. A fluffier tourist attraction than Okunoshima s Poison Gas Museum, no one is really sure how they arrived on the island, but they are loved and live a charmed life. Come face to face with a Bengal tiger in Rajasthan, India Would you like to come face to face with a real-life Shere Khan? The best place to see wild Bengal tigers is in the Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan, formerly the Maharaja of Jaipur s hunting ground. Join a morning or evening safari you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a tiger relaxing among the UNESCOlisted ruins of the park s Ranthambore Fort. There are plenty of equally iconic Indian animals to encounter in Ranthambhore leopards, sloth bears, striped hyenas, mongooses, pythons and cobras. Watch the fruit bat migration in Kasanka National Park, Zambia Want to witness the largest mammal migration on earth? Wildebeest? Zebra? Reindeer? No the largest mammal migration on earth occurs between October and December when 10 million straw-coloured fruit bats descend on the swamp forest in Zambia s Kasanka National Park. Each sunrise and sunset, the skies darken with millions of bats leaving and returning to the bat forest. Considering each bat has a wingspan of up to one metre, it s a jawdropping natural spectacle fit for anyone s bucket list. Are there any of these experiences you would definitely not enjoy? Why? 2/4

3 g Discuss these questions: Swim with pigs 1 What are shipwrecks and seafarers? 2 How do you think the pigs arrived on the island? 3 Do the pigs like tourists coming to see them swim? How do you know? Dog sledding 3 Why do you think this activity would give you an adrenaline rush? 4 Apart from the dog sledding, what are the main benefits of this holiday? Stroke a gray whale 5 What do the whales do to the tourist boats? 6 What will happen if you don t interact enough with the whales? Bath an elephant 7 Why have the elephants come to live in this park? 8 Do the elephants act as they normally would in their own habitat? Help a turtle 9 What s a hatchling? 10 What do you do on this holiday? Roam with bunnies 11 Why are the rabbits safe on this island? 12 Are the rabbits happy to go up to tourists? Bengal Tigers 13 Can you hunt tigers in this park? How do you know? 14 If you catch a glimpse of a tiger will you get a good long look or just a short look? Fruit bat migration 15 What is migration? 16 How does the writer expect you will feel when you see this spectacle? V The words in bold in the article all relate to animals. Match them to these definitions: 1 an area where birds make their homes and look after their young 2 a group of animals that live together and move around together 3 to find this you measure the distance from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other wing of a bird or plane 4 people who illegally kill animals to sell their bodies or parts of their bodies 5 move faster than walking but slower than running 6 when a number of people or animals come together in a group 7 move about without any particular purpose, direction or aim 8 move one s hand over the fur or skin of an animal again and again to caress it 9 breathing very heavily after a lot of exercise or activity 10 this word describes an animal that is not afraid of humans and will happily interact with them 3/4

4 V Complete these sentences with the words: 1 The albatross has the biggest of any living bird. It can range from 2.5 to 3.5 metres. 2 I had to run up three flights of stairs to catch my train. I was like a dog when I got there! 3 My grandma has a hedgehog! It comes to her back door every evening for food and you can even pick it up and stroke its tummy! 4 Sorry I m late, there was a of cows on the train track. We had to wait ages for them to move. 5 Every evening thousands of birds on the roof of our building before flying above our homes. It s an amazing sight! 6 The government has banned the sale of all ivory goods to try and stop killing elephants for their tusks. 7 Teenagers never seem to have anything to do these days. They just around the town all day long! 8 People aren t allowed into that part of the forest. It s a for a very rare bird and the town council is trying to protect it. Apparently there are now hundreds of baby birds in there trying to fly! 9 The little dog follows Daisy everywhere. I see him every day along behind her as she walks into town. 10 Doctors say it s very good for you to your dog or cat. The repeated motion is very relaxing and moving your arm is good for your heart. V Write a holiday plan like the ones in the article for seeing animals in your country. E Look at these extracts from the article: Huffington Post October around 20 pigs and their piglets go beachcombing along the soft white sand......grey whales congregate to socialise, mate and give birth to their calves. = Piglets are baby pigs and calves are baby whales. What are the names of the following animals babies? cat bear sheep swan cow dog chicken horse kangaroo duck goat elephant 4/4

5 g A Bucket List of Animal Encounters = week of Teacher s notes 1/2 student pages 4 intermediate+ (B1+) Why is it called a bucket list? The most likely origin is from the expression to kick the bucket meaning to die. Discuss these questions: Swim with pigs 1 shipwrecks = Boats that have crashed. seafarers = People that sail boats on the sea. 2 How do you think the pigs arrived on the island? = students own ideas 3 Do the pigs like tourists coming to see them swim? How do you know? = Yes, they swim up to the tourist boats. Dog sledding 3 Why do you think this activity would give you an adrenaline rush? = students own ideas 4 Apart from the dog sledding, what are the main benefits of this holiday? = the amazing scenery Stroke a gray whale 5 What do the whales do to the tourist boats? = Play with them and push them. 6 What will happen if you don t interact enough with the whales? = They ll go and find tourists that will interact with them. Bath an elephant 7 Why have the elephants come to live in this park? = Because they ve been treated badly somewhere else. 8 Do the elephants act as they normally would in their own habitat? = Yes, naturally as they would in the wild. Help a turtle 9 What s a hatchling? = An animal that has just come out of its egg. 10 What do you do on this holiday? = Look after baby turtles and help them go safely into the wild. Roam with bunnies 11 Why are the rabbits safe on this island? = Animals that could hurt them are not allowed on the island. 12 Are the rabbits happy to go up to tourists? = Yes, they re tame. Bengal Tigers 13 Can you hunt tigers in this park? How do you know? = Not now, it was formerly a hunting ground. 14 If you catch a glimpse of a tiger will you get a good long look or just a short look? = short Fruit bat migration 15 What is migration? = When birds or animals go from one place to another to avoid the cold weather. 16 How does the writer expect you will feel when you see this spectacle? = Absolutely amazed (jaw-dropping).

6 Teacher s notes 2/2 V The words in bold in the article all relate to animals. Match them to these definitions: 1 nest site 2 herd 3 wing span 4 poachers 5 trot 6 congregate 7 roam 8 stroke 9 panting 10 tame V Complete these sentences with the words: 1 wing span 2 panting 3 tame 4 herd 5 congregrate 6 poachers 7 roam 8 nest site 9 trotting 10 stroke week of intermediate+ (B1+) = Piglets are baby pigs and calves are baby whales. What are the names of the following animals babies? cat bear sheep swan kitten cub lamb cygnet cow dog chicken horse calf puppy chick foal kangaroo duck goat elephant joey duckling kid calf