Exam practice 3
Elephants – extinct by 2020?
A Conservationists warn that elephant numbers are
falling at such an alarming rate that they could be extinct
by the end of the decade. At the start of the twentieth
century, there were a few million African elephants and
about 100,000 Asian elephants, but today it is estimated
that there are only 450,000–700,000 African elephants
and 35,000–40,000 Asian elephants. African and Asian
elephants are two distinct species. African elephants live
in countries south of the Sahara desert and in the
rainforests of west and central Africa. They are massive,
with large, fan-shaped ears. Asian elephants are found in
India, China and much of south-east Asia. They are
much smaller than African elephants, with ears that are
straight at the bottom.
B Such a rapid reduction in the number of elephants is
alarming because these animals help to maintain
ecosystems for other species and are fundamental to
biodiversity. It is said that elephants are a ‘keystone’
species in Africa, which means that they play a very
important role in the survival of other animal and plant
species. For example, elephants pull down trees and
break up bushes, which creates grassland for other
animals to use, and many plant species are dependent
on passing through an elephant’s digestive system
before they can germinate.
C So why have elephant numbers fallen so rapidly over
the last 100 years and what is being done to deal with
the problem? Poaching remains the greatest danger to
elephants, as the ivory trade continues to boom in some
parts of the world. In fact, as elephants become rarer, the
price of and demand for ivory are increasing. In 1989, an
international trade ban on ivory was introduced, which
was very successful in reducing poaching in the 1990s.
But since that success, there has been less enforcement
of the laws and the amount of poaching has increased
again. Governments around the world are trying to tackle
the issue – a number of countries have destroyed their
stores of ivory that have been taken from smugglers to
try to discourage the illegal ivory trade. In addition, DNA
analysis of ivory is being used to find out exactly which
herds are being targeted by poachers, so law
enforcement can be focused on the areas where they
live.
D Elephants are also losing their natural habitat
because of conflict with the human population.
Expanding villages, towns and cities, plantation
development, and the building of infrastructure such as
roads and canals are all reducing the amount of space
available to elephants. Wildlife managers and local
communities are being trained so that they can find a
way to live alongside elephants without destroying their
natural habitat.
2  PHOTOCOPIABLE © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Reading
1 Read the text and mark the sentences true or false.
Provide evidence from the text to justify your
answers.
1 Over the last century, African elephant numbers have declined
but Asian elephant numbers have increased.
........................................................................................................
2 Some plant species would not exist without elephants.
........................................................................................................
3 Elephant poaching is not as bad now as it was in the 1990s.
...................................................................................................
2 Answer the questions according to information
given in the text. Use your own words and full
sentences.
1 Why is the price of ivory going up?
...................................................................................................
2 What was the result of the international ban on ivory trade in
1989?
...................................................................................................
3 In what two ways can ivory taken from smugglers help to
tackle the poaching problem?
...................................................................................................
...................................................................................................
4 What is being done to help local people learn how to protect
elephants’ habitat?
...................................................................................................
Use of English
3 Complete the sentences with an appropriate word.
1 The elephant population has …………… declining for the last
100 years.
2 There has been an international ivory trade ban in place
…………… 1989.
3 Governments are trying …………… discourage the illegal
ivory trade.
4 DNA analysis has been carried out on illegal ivory ……………
that areas where poaching happens can be identified.
4 Explain the meanings of these expressions from the
text.
1 fundamental to biodiversity (paragraph B)
...................................................................................................
2 (be) dependent on (paragraph B)
...................................................................................................
3 tackle the issue (paragraph C)
...................................................................................................
Writing
5 Choose one of the tasks. Write 120–150 words.
1 Write a discussion essay with the following title: ‘Too much
time and money is spent on protecting elephants that would
be better spent on human beings who need help.’ Discuss.
2 Write an essay with this title: ‘Which wild animal most needs to
be protected, and why?’