World History Science Animals Cheetahs Wolves Gorillas Bees Coral Sharks Koalas and more… Animals i danger DiscoveryBox is a 2010 winner of a Parents’ Choice Recommended Award. 2 Contents Contents Managing publisher: Christine Auberger. Editorial Manager: Elena Iribarren. Editor in Chief: Simona Sideri. Art Director: Pat Carter. Text and research: Liz Shepherd. Editor: Caroline Pook. Sales and promotion: Andréa Chhan. Budget Controller: Vincent Delorme. For editorial queries please contact: Bayard, 1st Floor, 2 King Street, Peterborough PE1 1LT. For a subscription in Switzerland: Edigroup SA - 39, rue Peillonnex - 1225 Chêne-Bourg (Switzerland) - tel: (0041)22 860 84 02 - fax: (0041)22 349 25 92 - e-mail: abobayard@edigroup.ch DiscoveryBox is published by Bayard Presse S.A, a Limited Liability company with a board of Directors and Supervisory Board and a capital of 16,500,000 Euros and having its principal place of business located at 18 Rue Barbès, 92120 Montrouge, France. Board of Directors and Management Committee: Georges Sanerot (Board President and Publication Director), Hubert Chicou, Alain Auge, André Antoni (Managing Directors). Main Shareholders: Assomption, Saint Loup Ltd, N.D.S. Association. Printers: Varoprinter, c/Artesania, Madrid, Spain and Allion printing co. Ltd, Hong Kong. Under law n°49956 of 16/07/1949 relating to youth publications. All rights reserved to the publisher © Images Doc, Astrapi – Bayard Presse. CPPAP: 0514 K 78793. ISSN 1366-9028 The name, surname and address of our subscribers are passed on to our in-house departments and all organisations under agreement with DiscoveryBoxunless we receive a formal instruction not to do so from the subscriber, in which case the above information will only be used to carry out the subscription. Such information may be accessed or modified by the subscriber as specified by the law. What are the threats? Deforestation page 6 Huntingandfishing page 8 Invasiveanimals page 10 Climatechange page 12 Which animals are the most endangered? InAfrica page 16 InEurope page 24 InAmerica page 32 InAsia page 38 InOceania page 44 We live on a beautiful planet But all over the world, animals are in danger. If they disappear, the diversity of life on our planet will be seriously damaged. D iscoveryBox and WWF tell you what’s going on and introduce you to people who are taking action to save our wildlife. C ompetition Fantastic WWF prizes to be won! page 4 3 T $$ OJ UU FF OO UU T DiscoveryBox is printed on chlorine-free paper from managed forests. Hip and Hop Right, Hip, it’s time for us to leave! What are we doing to protect animals? Constantcare page 50 Returntothewild page 52 Moneyfromtourism page 53 Safetyinnaturereserves page 54 WWF fighting to protect endangered species page 56 Action around the world page 58 + Games pages 14 and 48 Quiz and useful internet sites illustrations: G. Marié. Er… I’m not sure where this bit goes… Competition WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. Today, one of the most endangered species is the wild tiger. In the past 100 years, wild tiger numbers have plummeted by around 95%, to as few as 3,200. WWF’s map highlights the increasing threats faced by the species, including habitat loss, illegal trade and climate change. To view or download the map, please visit: www. worldwildlife.org/tigertroublespots. You can help protect the future of the world’s largest big cat by adopting one. Terms and Conditions: Entry into this competition implies acceptance of these rules and conditions. Open to all readers, other than employees of Bayard Presse and others professionally associated with the magazine and their immediate families. The prizes are as stated and will be awarded to the ten “Best entries” on the draw date. Winners will be notified within 28 days of the competition. The prizes are subject to availability. In the unlikely event of stated prizes being unavailable, Bayard Presse reserves the right to substitute the prize for one of equal value. No cash alternative is available. No correspondence will be entered into. One entry per competition per household. In entering this competition the entrant is agreeing to receive e-mails from Bayard Presse and carefully selected partners. This promotion may be conducted over several different magazines simultaneously. Winners’ names may be published in a future issue of the magazine. Promoter: Bayard Presse, UK Ltd, Tower House, Sovereign Park, Lathkill St, Market Harborough, Leics LE16 9EF, UK. Visit wwf.org.uk to learn more about WWF and see how you can help to protect our beautiful planet. 10 fantastic WWF prizes to be won! 1st prize: a WWF tiger adoption pack (includes a cuddly toy tiger + updates about your tiger 3 times a year + other surprises); 9 runner-up prizes: an adorable WWF plush toy in partnership with 4 What to do: Draw a picture of a tiger and send it by 30 th August by e-mail to: contact@bayard-magazines.co.uk or by post to: Bayard, 1st floor, 2 King Street, Peterborough, PE1 1LT, UK. The 10 best entries will receive a fabulous prize! Don’t forget to write your name and address and the name of your magazine. 5 What are the threats? Deforestation Hunting and fishing Invasive animals Climate change Since life began on Earth, species have appeared and disappeared. That’s normal. But today more than 1,300 animal species and 9,000 plant species are threatened with rapid extinction. What’s going on? Christophe Courteau/Bios In Borneo, an island in Asia, bulldozers flatten huge areas of rainforest. The precious wood is sold in Japan and Europe. Forests are replaced by plantations of crops, such as soya and palm oil. These fast-growing plants soon use up all the richness in the ground. Nigel Dickinson - Hélène Camoin/WWF 6 Deforestation Most animals have adapted so that they can live in one specific place, such as the forest, the sea or the mountains… When forests are destroyed, the species that used to live there can’t survive. 7 Forest riches Humans don’t destroy forests for fun! The forests contain all kinds of riches: animals, plants, as well as raw materials in the ground. We use the wood to make furniture and we burn it to keep warm and to cook. We also cut down trees so we can extract precious materials from the soil, such as gold, silver or copper. People need forest land to grow crops. Huge loss When a forest is burned or cut down, animals aren’t always able to escape. They may sometimes disappear without us knowing. We don’t yet know about all the plant and animal species that live in the rainforests. When forests are cleared, there’s nothing to stop the rain and wind thinning the soil. Soon no plants can grow there. Solutions to deforestation • Forest management schemes are being set up. Logging (cutting down trees) is allowed, but under strict rules so that the forest isn’t destroyed. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo helps you identify wood products that come from well-managed forests. • Areas of forest that are fragile can be protected. New reserves and national parks are being set up in many countries. • People can be educated about this issue. Local people can be helped to make the best use of their forests. Multi-national companies can be encouraged to stop bad practices. Consumers can be taught to only buy wood products from well-managed forests. 37 football pitches every minute! That’s the rate at which our rainforests are being destroyed. 3 animals threatened by the disappearance of the rainforest: •Jaguars, big cats of the Amazon rainforest •Orang-utans, great apes of Borneo •Aye-ayes, lemurs of Madagascar Hunting and fishing When wild animals are captured or killed, their species can become endangered. For this reason, trade in wild animals is illegal. However, poachers still capture or kill some animals as they can make a lot of money from trafficking. More and more hunting Humans have always hunted and fished to eat. But today, there are more and more humans and our hunting techniques are very efficient. Greater numbers of animals are now captured – and not just for their meat. Hunters kill bears for the thrill. Monkeys, birds and all kinds of reptiles are sold as pets. Tigers are killed for their fur. Fewer and fewer fish Fishing has become a huge industry. Radar is used to detect shoals of fish and nets can go very deep down. Today three-quarters of fish species, including cod and anchovies, are over- fished. They’re caught before they have reproduced. At this rate, in thirty years’ time, there will be no wild fish left in the oceans. £7 million This is the estimated annual value of the illegal trade in wild animals. 8 Vielmo Sabine/Argus/bios - Michel Gunther/Bios Rhinoceros horns are made into a powder and sold as medicine in Asia. Since 1977, trade in African rhino horn has been illegal. But there’s a big demand so poachers still kill them and steal their horns. Jane Goodall’s work Jane Goodall is an American primatologist (someone who studies primates: monkeys and apes). She has devoted her whole life to studying chimpanzees in Africa. She observed that they eat meat and know how to use tools. Thirty years ago she created a foundation to save chimps. Since then, several sanctuaries have been set up in Africa to look after young, orphaned chimps. They’re nursed back to health and taught to live in the wild. Find out more at: www.janegoodall.org 3 animals threatened by poaching: •Tigers for their fur •Elephants for their tusks •Sharks for their fins Red-eared terrapins have been sold in pet shops for a long time. They’re usually small when people buy them. But when they grow larger they can become a nuisance. So their owners sometimes leave them in ponds where they become a threat to local European pond terrapins. Invasive animals Some animals travel from one continent to another as secret passengers on boats or planes. Others are released by humans far from the place where they usually live. If they survive, they can threaten local species. 3 invasive animals: •Red-eared terrapins in Europe •Siberian chipmunks in Europe •African sacred ibis in Europe Frederic Feve/Bios - Galathée Films /Mathieu Simonet 10 [...]... been releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere This gas forms a layer in the skies above us that stops the Earth’s heat escaping into space So gradually, the Earth’s temperature is increasing, like in a greenhouse Disruption Global warming is causing glaciers in mountains and at the poles to melt The oceans are heating up and sea levels are rising Some islands and coastlines will... Find 7 differences between these two pictures of the savannah Then work out what the photographer is saying… eb nac effarig elam A llat m6 ot pu 2 This reporter has forgotten the names of the monkeys he photographed Help him to remember using the letters on the films 14 Answers on page 59 Which animals are the most endangered? Animals in Africa Animals in Europe Animals in America Animals in Asia Animals. .. live in mountain forests across Europe and Asia But today, there are few in western Europe There are still some out of in central Asia Most are danger! in northern Europe The number of and Russia lynx in western They’re Europe is the largest 7,000 felines Their numbers are increasing (cats) in Europe Staffan Widstrand ! 24 Shy animals Lynx live alone and are difficult to observe The spotted markings... attack sheep Endangered species In the Middle Ages, bears lived all over Europe But by 1850, they only survived in mountainous areas One hundred years later they were almost extinct The last adult female born in the Pyrenees Mountains in France was shot by a hunter in 2004 Reintroduction There are still brown bears in Russia, Scandinavia and many parts of eastern Europe, as well as in the Abruzzi region... A et M Shah/jacana, small photo: Plumptre/OSF/BIOS Mountain gorillas ! Look Out! There are only around 700 mountain gorillas living in Africa 20 Mountain gorillas live in the rainforest in Central Africa They may look scary but they’re gentle, peaceful animals Their survival is seriously endangered Read on to find out why Super-fragile babies Dangerous friendship Female gorillas give birth to only... those 10 d become invasive Protecting native species Not all species that are introduced to an environment are invasive Some new species can fit into an environment without affecting or competing with local species To protect native species from invaders, various organizations in different countries are taking action In the United States, for example, there’s a campaign encouraging people not to carry... to stop them sinking into the snow 25 EUROPE 1 baby every two years Photos F.Larrey-T T Roger/regard du vivant: www.regard-du-vivant.fr Fin whales ! Look Out! Whale hunting is now legal again in many countries 26 These whales are the second largest animals in the world after the blue whale They live in all oceans and are the most widespread whales in the Mediterranean Sea But they’re endangered Shy... proud and bold but they’re actually quite shy DiscoveryBox interviews a cheetah expert Where do cheetahs live? In the past cheetahs lived in Africa and in Asia, as far east as India Today there are still a large number in wildlife reserves in eastern and southern Africa But they have almost disappeared in the north and west In Asia, there are just a few left in Iran Female cheetahs raise their cubs alone... underwater Also, seasons are becoming less reliable and more extreme That’s why we have seen such bad floods and storms as well as droughts in recent years 0.6°C This is the increa average temperase in the Earth’s 100 years It coul ture in the last d in 2 to 5°C betwee crease by a further n now and 2100 Fighting global warming The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement on fighting climate change It became... Congo The human population is growing fast in those countries and people need to grow crops for food Part of one park in Rwanda has already been turned into farm land Violent human beings Poachers still hunt gorillas although it’s illegal They sell the meat – called ‘bush meat’ – in African markets Fighting for minerals In the Democratic Republic of Congo there’s a rare mineral called coltan It’s used . endangered? Animals in Africa Animals in Europe Animals in America Animals in Asia Animals in Oceania On all continents and in the oceans, all kinds of animals are endangered, from the. temperature is increasing, like in a greenhouse. Disruption Global warming is causing glaciers in mountains and at the poles to melt. The oceans are heating up and sea levels are rising. Some. mountain gorillas living in Africa. ! Mountain gorillas live in the rainforest in Central Africa. They may look scary but they’re gentle, peaceful animals. Their survival is seriously endangered.