~ Teresa Tai
English Teacher, International Department
~ Teresa Tai
English Teacher, International Department
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English Teacher, International Department
We get a lot of pleasure out of seeing or interacting with animals in the zoo. Did you know that the world we live in today contains many animals which are now endangered? Animals such as leopard cats, Formosan black bears, Siberian tigers, and many more are going extinct and will no longer be around for us or future generations to see and enjoy. If these animals disappear off the face of the earth, then we will only be able to learn about them from books or on the internet, just like how we learn about dinosaurs. Thinking of this is heartbreaking! This discussion formed the basis of the project our grade five students conducted to advocate for the protection of endangered animals.
Research and Development
Last year, a collared scops owl, an animal facing possible extinction, came to nest in our Nature Study Area. This was a great spark to our project, as students examined why the owl chose to make its nest on our campus. Research showed that our campus provided an ideal habitat, free from predators, rich in diet, and maintained by humans in a way that supports its needs.
This research blossomed into examinations of other endangered wild animals. Students learned that habitat destruction, loss of food sources, and increased number of deaths are reasons why animals become endangered. They understood that these causes are often due to human activities. Students came to the conclusion that it is possible to prevent this problem by raising awareness and advocating for the protection of endangered animals. We decided to focus our efforts on endangered animals in Taiwan and target our audience to younger students at Kang Chiao.
Sharing through Games and Creativity
Each fifth grader gathered detailed information about an endangered animal of their choice. They researched details such as the animal’s habitat, diet, appearance, threats they face, and actions that organizations are taking to protect the animal. They became experts on their chosen endangered animal. The next step was to inform our younger students about their endangered animals and raise awareness to prevent their extinction.
Instead of a formal presentation, students decided to inform younger students by turning the information into an educational game. The fifth graders worked together to design games that would be fun and interactive, while at the same time informing players of their chosen endangered animal and raising awareness. Students expressed creativity in the design of their game, with most students deciding to use a digital platform they already had in-class experiences with, such as Kahoot or Blooket.
They practiced the effectiveness of their games with other fifth graders and shared feedback based on whether the content was accurate, informative, age-appropriate, interactive, and interesting.
Speaking Out and Making a Difference
Finally, the fifth graders visited third-grade classes and hosted game sessions. They successfully educated and inspired the grade three students to take an active role in protecting the endangered animals in Taiwan.
This project served as a great way for young students to learn not only about endangered animals, but also how to speak up about an important cause. It made our fifth graders feel responsible and engaged in the future of the world. In addition, sharing their games with younger students contributed to being a good role model for their younger peers. We hope our students will carry the lessons of this project into the future as they grow into caring members of the global community.
Save Life of Formosan Landlocked Salmon
★ Christy Hung 洪宥緹 502
In Taiwan, there are many endangered animals. They face many threats, such as typhoons, floods, humans hunting them, and the effects of pollution. These threats make their population decline, so we need protect them and prevent them from becoming extinct. One of these animals which you might not have heard of is the Formosan landlocked salmon.
Formosan landlocked salmon live in the streams on top of Snow Mountain. They eat insects and small fish. The main threat they face is habitat loss due to natural disasters and pollution. Their population is in decline. Now there are only about 400 of them left in Taiwan. Typhoons and floods cannot be avoided, but water pollution is caused by human beings. Some companies pour polluted water into the streams, causing the salmon to die from polluted water. Their only habitat has been damaged because the garbage and the polluted water. They need clean water so they can live.
People need to protect them so they will not become extinct. Some people are trying to do that, such as by keeping the streams where they live clean, allowing them to lay more eggs. Protect them also lets them have more chances to grow into adults. Normal people like you and I can help by keeping our waterways clean. We could volunteer to clean trash in streams, especially after a typhoon. These are actions that students can do to help the Formosan landlocked salmon. Let’s not let this special and unique species disappear. Use your time to do something right and help them!
Save the Leopard Cats
★ Dora Yen 顏幼柔 505
There are many endangered animals in Taiwan. Most of these endangered animals face some common threats such as habitat loss, food loss, and being hunted by people. Habitat loss is usually because of human construction and pollution. Most food loss is also the result of human activity.
One example of an endangered animal in Taiwan is the leopard cat. Leopard cats look like cats with black spots. They live in low hills near the central part of Taiwan. They eat birds, insects, mice, lizards, rabbits and chickens. Most leopard cats are active at night. However, these wonderful creatures are endangered. The number of leopard cats has decreased. Why? One reason is a lot of hunters hunt them for their fur. Their fur is warm and suitable for making clothes, so hunters sell their fur for money. Another reason is because leopard cats often try to eat chickens. Farmers become afraid that leopard cats will eat their chickens, so they set traps, use poison, or shoot the leopard cats.
We need to protect these endangered animals. We don’t want them to go extinct. If that happens, it could disrupt the food chain and lead to other animals’ extinction. There are some organizations that help leopard cats, such as the Shihu Conservation Fund. They rescue leopard cats that have been caught by traps and prevent them from being poisoned. You can help them by asking your neighbors and family to donate money through their website.
Let’s Save Green Sea Turtle
★ Andrea Liu 劉恩妤 506
Endangered animals need our help. Animals are endangered because their habitats are being reduced by human pollution, natural disasters, and climate change. Green Sea Turtles are one of these animals that is threatened because people like to make them into turtle soup and overharvest their eggs.
Grown-up green sea turtles are herbivores. They eat algae and seagrass. Baby green sea turtles are omnivores. They eat seaweed, marine plants, algae, crustaceans, worms, jellyfish, shrimps, and fish eggs. They live in warm areas of the tropical and subtropical oceans that have coral reefs. They sleep by floating at the surface while in deep waters, or sleep on the bottom wedged under rocks in coastal waters.
Now, green sea turtles are threatened and nearly extinct in the wild. The biggest threat for green sea turtles is ocean pollution. These days, people use plastic packaging because it is convenient. However, much of our plastic ends up in oceans. One reason that causes this problem are that some people just throw the plastic in waterways, and then the plastic flows into the ocean. Being caught by humans is also a big problem. People like to hunt their eggs to eat. They think green sea turtle eggs are good to eat. Some people also eat the turtles themselves, such as in turtle soup. The result is a reduction in the number of turtles.
There are three organizations in Taiwan that are helping green sea turtles now. They includes Pingtung Marine Museum, National Taiwan University Animal Hospital, and National Taiwan Ocean University. They all rescue stranded or dead green sea turtles. They cooperate with each other. But they cannot save the turtles alone. We need to help those green sea turtles! We can do it by stopping throwing garbage or plastic things into the ocean, and by stopping people from eating them or their eggs.
Wildlife is in Crisis; act now!
★ Katharine Jiayu Shiu 胥家語 508
All animals need food, water, and a shelter to survive. Habitats are important for animals’ survival because they protect them from threats. However, some animals are facing habitat destruction, causing them to become endangered. Some animals are facing threats from hunters who want to kill them for money, some are threatened by angry farmers who are not happy about their crops being eaten, and some have become the victims of road kills.
The animal that we want to inform you about is the Eurasian otter. Eurasian otters used to live happily among rivers, ponds and lakes, but due to the threats of hunters and the continued destruction of habitats, they are facing extinction. Even though they can live anywhere with a clean source of water, options are becoming scarcer, causing them to find refuge in places such as ponds in cities. This has decreased their food sources, as they usually eat eels, frogs, young rabbits, insects, and birds. Eurasian otters are territorial. Groups of otters sometimes attack others for survival. The population of Eurasian otters are currently stable, but they are expected to become an endangered species due to pollution and hunting. The threat of extinction is a heavy burden hanging over their heads.
Endangered animals may not seem of great importance to you, but their extinction may cause a lot of impact on our lives. Some people in Taiwan who are aware of the importance of wildlife preservation are trying to help. There are some institutions here in Taiwan, such as the Pingtung Rescue Center, Wildone Wildlife Conservation Association, and Kinmen Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation Association. They help animals by providing them with a suitable shelter, teaching people about the importance of helping endangered animals, and most importantly, caring about them. The animals there are safe, comfy, and cared for. But not only can big organizations help; you can help too. If you see an endangered animal roaming about or hurt, you can contact institutions that help those animals to save it. You could also volunteer to help these endangered animals, like caring for them or helping out in animal hospitals. One little movement can change the fate of these animals. Let’s help and save endangered animals together!
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