Atiger’sstripesarelikeahuman’sfingerprint;thepatternisuniquetoev-erytiger.Thesedistinctivestripeshelptigershideamongthelonggrassesandsneakupontheirprey.Thestripesaren’tjustonatiger’sfurbutarealsoontheirskin--ifatigerwasshaved,itsuniquestripeswouldremain.

Welcome to the Animal Ambassador Program

from IFAW!ThIs monTh’s FeATured AnImAls: bIg cATs

Thismonth’sfreeactivitiescoverthefollowingskills: • identifyingcompletesentencesandfragments • writingtoinform • writingtosupportanopinion • identifyingkeyideasanddetailsininformational

text • writinginresponsetoaprompt • andmore!

For more information and additional activities, download the Born to be Wild educational kit at ifaw.org/lessons.

© 2012 International Fund for Animal Welfare. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC ®www.ifaw.org

Name Big CatsNonfiction passage

Circle true or false.

1. Nikita grew up in the wild. true false

2. The wild is the best home for a tiger. true false

3. People who care about animals helped Nikita. true false

4. It is better to put chains on an animal than to let true false it roam free.

5. A wildcat sanctuary is a place for big cats to live. true false

Nikita’s New HomeRead.

Nikita did not grow up like a lot of tigers. She has never lived in a forest. She has never roamed free. For seven years she was owned by a man. This man used Nikita to make money. He let people take pictures with her. To keep Nikita still, he put chains on her. Nikita was very mistreated. Happily, Nikita was rescued by a group of people who care about animals. Today Nikita has a new home. She lives in a place just for big cats. It is called a wildcat sanctuary. Nikita is safe there. She has room to roam. She is well cared for. Nikita will live there for the rest of her life.

IFAW and its members raised money to

move Nikita to the The Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota. IFAW also moved another big cat,

Tasha, who is a cougar.

© 2012 International Fund for Animal Welfare. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC ®www.ifaw.org

Answer Key 1. false 2. true 3. true 4. false 5. true

© 2012 International Fund for Animal Welfare. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC ®www.ifaw.org

Big CatsJournal prompts

Ready to Write…About Big Cats

Some people keep tigers and other big cats as pets. Why is this a bad idea? Think about both the animals and the pet owners.

A tiger’s stripes help it hide. A snow leopard’s light-colored fur helps it hide. A lion’s brownish fur helps it hide. Find out where these big cats live. Why does the cat’s fur help it hide?

Make a list of three or more big cats that you know about. Choose one and draw a picture of it.

Every tiger has a different pattern of stripes. Why might this be important? How is this similar to humans?

Check the box after completing the prompt.

Name

© 2012 International Fund for Animal Welfare. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC ®www.ifaw.org

Cats of the Wild

Name BigCatsSentencefragments

CompleteSentence Fragment

1. Thedecliningpopulationoftigersandmanyotherbigcats.

2. Someoftheseanimalsmaybecomeextinct , which meanstheywoulddisappearfromtheearth.

3. Forsomebigcats,theareawheretheyliveisbeingdevelopedforhouses,roads,orfarms,andthatcausesthemto.

4. Whenthishappens,theanimals’homesandfoodsourcesdisappearandgroupsofanimalsarecutofffromoneanother.

5. Killedbyhuntersorpoachersorevenkilledbytourists’carsandbuses.

6. Groupsthatstudyanimalscategorizetheirpopulationsasleast concern, near threatened, vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, extinct in the wild, andextinct.

7. Thetiger(Panthera tigris),whichisclassifiedasendangered.

8. Becausethreetypesoftigershavebecomeextinct—Caspiantigers,Javatigers,andBalitigers.

9. Scientistsestimatethatinthe1990stherewere5,000to7,000tigersintheworld,butnowthereareabout3,000.

10. Classifiedas“vulnerable,”thelion(Panthera Leo).

11. LionsoncelivedinmostpartsofAfricaandtheareafromGreecetonorthernIndia.

12. Jaguars“nearthreatened,”withanunknownnumberremainingintheworld.

13. JaguarsonceroamedthroughoutSouthandCentralAmerica,butnowtheyarefoundmostlyinremoteareas.

14. Withbetween7,500and10,000remaining,thecheetah(Acinonyx jubatus)isconsidered“vulnerable.”

15. ThecheetahinAsiaonlyinIran.

16. Thesnowleopard(Panthera uncia) populationhasdeclined20percentinthepasttwodecades,with4,000to6,000remaining.

17. Snowleopardskilledbypoachersandfarmers.

18. Scientistsclassifythemountainlion(alsocalledapumaorcougar)populationas“leastconcern,”butitspopulationisdecreasingaswell.

Read each sentence. Determine if it is a complete sentence or a fragment. Rewrite all fragments to make complete sentences on another sheet of paper.

Remember! A complete

sentence has a subject and

predicate and expresses

a complete thought.

A sentence fragment is missing

a subject or predicate or does not

express a complete

thought.

© 2012 International Fund for Animal Welfare. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC ®www.ifaw.org

Answer Key

1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 17 are     sentence fragments.Rewritten sentences will vary.

© 2012 International Fund for Animal Welfare. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC ®www.ifaw.org

Post It!Writing to inform Inform your students that some people believe products made from tiger bones, skins, and meat make people more powerful. In China, it’s illegal to buy and sell tiger parts and products, but tiger farm-ers raise tigers and then kill them to sell their parts. Others kill wild tigers for the same purpose. To promote Animal Action Week, have each student make a one-page poster that informs others about the illegal killing of tigers. Encourage each child to include tiger facts and ways that others can help support tigers.

Poaching

Tiger parts are for tigers, not medicine!

According to a recent report by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and partner groups, populations are declining for 80% of wild cat species, including jaguars, leopards, cheetahs, tigers, snow leopards, and African lions. IFAW is working with the US Congress to better protect lions from trophy hunting, a practice in which American hunters and others travel overseas to hunt lions for sport. IFAW is also working with Congress to stop the exotic pet trade, which has put thousands of big cats in private ownership in the US. IFAW is working with Internet busi-nesses to prevent online trade in products made from wild cats and other endangered species.

The last few thousand wild tigers live in India, Russia, and other Asian countries. By supporting antipoaching training and patrols, IFAW works to protect tigers from poachers who illegally kill them to sell their bones, skins, and other body parts.

Lion on a Leash?Writing to support an opinion Many people admire the beauty, power, and grace of lions. In fact, lions are often called the “king of beasts.” Explain to stu-dents that some people even try to keep lions and other big cats as pets and that laws across the country vary as to whether individu-als are allowed to buy, sell, and breed big cats and other restricted species. Lead a discussion with students about the chal-lenges and dangers of keeping lions. Point out to students concerns such as safety and the expense to properly care for a lion. Finally, help students re-search whether it’s legal to have a lion or other big cat as a pet in your state, county, and town. After the discussion, have each child write a letter to a lawmaker or to a newspaper about the dangers and concerns of keeping lions as pets, working in the information you found about state and local laws. Remind students to back up their opinions with facts. Encourage students to send their letters if they’d like, or post them on a bulletin board titled “Lion on a Leash? Here’s What the Law Says!”

Animal Action

Week is the first full

week in October!