Hollands Big Five the top 5 wild animals in

the Netherlands
Want to see the Big Five, but dont fancy an expensive trip to Africa? Fortunately you dont need
to visit a big game reserve in order to enjoy the best that nature has to offer for even the
Netherlands boasts its own exciting collection of wildlife that, with the right timing and a little bit
of luck, can be witnessed up close and personal.

1. Edelhert (red deer)

The red deer is the largest wild animal in the Netherlands its name probably comes from the
Dutch word edelman (noble man) as only noblemen were originally permitted to hunt them. Red
deer are instantly recognisable by their majestic antlers, which can take on huge proportions,
especially in older males. These beautiful beasts roam Dutch nature reserves including the Hoge
Veluwe, the Oostvaardersplassen and the Weerterbos in Limburg, where they graze on leaves and
grass. Red deer are shy and most visitors are rewarded with only a fleeting glimpse at sunrise or
sunset.
2. Everzwijn (wild boar)
The wild boar was officially declared extinct in the Netherlands in 1826. However, thanks to
Prince Hendrik, who introduced them back into the Dutch forests of the Koninklijke
Houtvesterij Het Loo in 1907, this delightful species of pig has made a welcome return. To spot
wild boar in their natural surroundings, visit the Hoge Veluwe or the forests of North Brabant
and Limburg, where they ramble across wide open spaces, wallow in mud pools and feed greedily
on tubers, roots, grass, fruits, nuts, insects, mice and young rabbits.
3. Ree (roe deer)
Whilst roe deer can be found in almost every Dutch forest, theyre extremely difficult to sight
thanks to their effective camouflage and bashful nature. Youre most likely to observe these
graceful creatures feeding on fresh leaves and grass, at dawn or dusk.

4. Das (badger)
Badgers live in the Hoge Veluwe and the forests of Limburg, Friesland, Drenthe and Overijssel
and are predominantly active at dusk, when they come out to hunt for mice or forage in the soil
for worms, fruit and nuts. Nocturnal animals, badgers remain curled up in their setts all day,
making the probability of bumping into one in daylight quite small.
5. Vos (fox)
This sly thief, which isnt exactly a favourite with Dutch farmers, is frequently found wandering
the south and east of the Netherlands and across the sand dunes of Noord-Holland. Foxes hunt
mainly at night, and in addition to mice, birds and wild rabbits, they enjoy a varied diet of insects
and fruit.

retrieved from: https://dutchcommunity.com/2013/03/01/hollands-big-fivethe-top-5-wild-animals-in-the-netherlands/ on 13th of December 2016

(source)

Assignments:
1. Look at the title, the subheadings and the picture. Now describe in
one sentence what you think the text will be about.
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The answers to the questions below can be found in the text.
2. Where can someone find the original Big Five?
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3. Red deer arent spotted easily. Why is that?
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4. If you want to see the wild boar, but you dont want to see it in a
zoo, where should you go?
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5. Why is it that its not easy to spot the roe deer?
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6. Its not likely that youll see a badger during the day. Why is that?
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7. A fox usually eats meat, but he doesnt have to. What else does he
eat?
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8. In the text you have seen underlined words. Write down their
translation (vertaling) or describe what they mean.

graze:
.
extinct:
.
bashful:
.
dawn or dusk:
.
Nocturnal animals:
.
varied diet:
.
9. In the text you could also find words that were printed in bold.
These words are possessives. Think about what these words do and
write that down below.
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10.
Here is a list of words that are used to address people. Find the
correct possessive to go with these.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)

I
That book is __________ . It belongs to __________ .
You - That pen is ___________ . It belongs to __________ .
He
- That shirt is ___________. It belongs to __________ .
She - That phone is _________ . It belongs to __________ .
It
- That tail is ____________ . It belongs to __________ .
We - That house is __________. It belongs to __________ .
They - This bag is ____________. It belongs to __________ .
Maria This box is ____________. It belongs to __________ .
Don - This dog is ____________. It belongs to __________ .

Now there is another word that you can use when dealing with possession.
It can be found in the text too. Practice with these sentences.
The sand dunes ____ North Holland.
The roof ___ the house.

Decide which one is correct and cross out the other:

1.The badger stays in its sett during the day. / The sett of the badger is
occupied all day.
2.The kingdoms forests. / The forests of the kingdom.
3.The bashful nature of the roe deer / Their bashful nature.
4.The varied diet of the fox / the foxs varied diet.

11.
When youre done with the questions, write a short story about
an animal that you feel should be part of the Big Five in the
Netherlands. It has to be an animal that lives in the Netherlands. If
you want, you can look up some information on your Ipad. Describe
what the animal looks like as well. Use at least 4 different
possessives in your text.
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Answer sheet
1. Anything along the lines of: Its about animals (five) that live in the
Netherlands.
2. Africa
3. They are shy.
4. Forests of North Brabant/Limburg and the Hoge Veluwe
5. Camouflage, bashful nature, shy, blend in surroundings.
6. They are most active during the night. Theyre nocturnal animals.
7. Fruit (and insects)
8. Graze: Grazen/ eating grass
extinct: Uitgestorven / no longer exists
bashful: Verlegen / shy
dawn or dusk: in de ochtend of in de avond, schemering/ early in the
morning or almost at night, when it gets light and dark.
Nocturnal animals: nachtdieren / animals that live at night
varied diet: gevarieerd eten / he eats multiple things, eating
different things.
9. Anything along the lines of: It says that something belongs to
someone/something
10.
mine, me. yours, you. his, him. hers, her. its, it. ours, us. theirs,
them. Marias, Maria. Dons, Don.
of, of.
1. its. 2. both. 3. their. 4. foxs
11.
N.a.