THE BIG CATS AT THE SHARJAH BREEDING CENTRE – IELTS Reading Answers

A It is one of the few places where you will be able to spot them all at the same time… the Arabian wolf, an African cheetah, an Arabian leopard, an oryx, a gazelle. These are just some of the animals, which, on the brink of extinction, are now getting a new lease of life thanks to the exemplary work being done at the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife in Sharjah. Sharjah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. The Breeding Centre’s expertise and facilities have made it a prime destination for illegally imported animals confiscated by UAE and Sharjah authorities. In the last four years, more than 900 mammals and reptiles and 969 birds have arrived at the centre, including 25 North African cheetahs, Houbara bustard and falcons, lions, a baby Nile crocodile and a Burmese python that was left in a rental car at the airport.

B The 25 cheetahs were all imported illegally into the UAE and were intercepted at the UAE harbour and airport entry points. They nearly all arrived malnourished, dehydrated and highly stressed after long voyages stuffed into boxes, crates and suitcases. Now they are bright and full of energy. The Centre’s efforts have also been rewarded when the first cheetah mating took place at the end of 2002. Playing matchmaker with these beautiful creatures is no easy task – successful breeding requires considerable patience and intimate knowledge of each animal’s personality, and it is the result of intensive and expert management of each animal within the group as well as of the group as a whole.

C Because this group was still young and inexperienced in courtship matters, the keepers had to make the introductions only after careful planning and management, much like the lead role in a Jane Austen novel. The female cheetahs were initially intimidated by the presence of the male; however, as they advance to oestrus, the roles are reversed and the male cheetah becomes too wary to approach during the female’s most receptive phase of the cycle. It is the responsibility of the keeper therefore to monitor each individual and to be able to respond to any indication from the cheetahs that the time is right for introducing a pair. The close bond that invariably develops between the keeper and the cheetahs enables the keeper to spot even the most subtle signs from the animals in their care. The trust between keeper and animal has also allowed the opportunity to study cellular changes in the sexual organs of the females during the hormonal cycles that occur prior to reproduction.

D The Breeding Centre’s cheetahs are also participants in the European breeding programme, which aims to ensure that the genetic diversity of this endangered species is maintained and expanded by breeding as many founder animals as possible to introduce new bloodlines into the captive population. In this way, the group held at the centre plays a very important role in the future health of the international captive population, as they are potentially all new founders. Also very important for the Sharjah Breeding Centre is the leopard-breeding programme

E The Arabian leopard, Panthera pardus nimr, is critically endangered around the world and particularly in the Arabian peninsula, where it was once found throughout the coastal mountain ranges. Activities like hunting, trapping and habitat destruction has reduced their range to a few isolated and fragmented populations in Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

F In the 1980s, a captive breeding programme was established near Muscat with the capture of three leopards in southwestern Oman. The breeding programme in the UAE was initiated by the Arabian Leopard Trust and started with the arrival of two mature specimens: a male Arabian leopard from Yemen and a female on breeding loan from Oman in 1995. The arrival of these two animals led to the construction of the Breeding Centre in which the leopard has played the role of flagship species.

G Today there are twelve leopards at the Breeding centre, eight of which have been born at the centre since the first cub in 1998. Once more, the secret to the centre’s success is the close relationship between animal and keeper. The leopard is usually shy and secretive with people around, but here they react positively to the presence of their keepers, approaching the fence so they can be talked to or scratched behind an ear.

H The bond is particularly important during the breeding season when keepers decide to introduce pairs to each other. Male leopards are known to have killed their partners on introduction, so it is essential for the keeper to understand the leopards’ behaviour to decide when it is safe to do so. The trust is also important if keepers need to enter dens to check on and monitor the cub’s growth. Leopard females have been known to kill their cubs if the dens have been disturbed, but the centre’s leopards are quite comfortable with the staff handling the new generation of cubs.

Questions of THE BIG CATS AT THE SHARJAH BREEDING CENTRE

Questions 1- 8

Write:

A if the statement refers to cheetahs at the Breeding Centre.

B if the statement refers to leopards at the Breeding Centre.

C if the statement refers to both cheetahs and leopards at the Breeding Centre.

D If the statement refers to neither cheetahs nor leopards at the Breeding Centre.

Example Answer:

These animals are endangered C

1 These animals were smuggled into the UAE.

2 At first these animals did not adapt to life at the Sharjah Breeding Centre

3 These animals are regarded as the most important animal at the Centre.

4 Half of these animals were born at the Breeding centre.

5 These animals can be dangerous to one another.

6 The role of the keeper is vital in the breeding programme of these animals.

7 The first of these animals at the Breeding Centre was relatively young.

8 It is normally difficult for humans to approach these animals.

Questions 9 – 13

Complete the summary below.

Example Answer

The Sharjah Breeding Centre now has a __________ of variety animals including birds,…

SUMMARY

The Sharjah Breeding Centre now has a variety of animals including birds, mammals and (9) __________. As its name suggests, the Centre is primarily involved in breeding and (10) __________ the numbers of the species housed there whilst still maintaining the (11) _________ of bloodlines in order to retain genetic health. In spite of problems involving the complex (12) __________ of the animals, a fair amount of (13) __________ has been achieved with North African cheetahs and Arabian leopards.

reptiles  variety  Behaviour  success  creating

expanding  difficulty  diversity  action  habitat

season  fish  change  working  Programme

Reading Answers

Answer: A
Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 2 – line 3

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph B says that “The 25 cheetahs were all imported illegally into the UAE and were intercepted at the UAE harbour and airport entry points.” This indicates that the cheetahs in the breeding centre were smuggled into the UAE. Hence the answer is A.

Answer: D
Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph G, line 1 – line 3

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph G say that “Today there are twelve leopards at the Breeding centre, eight of which have been born at the centre since the first cub in 1998. Once more, the secret to the centre’s success is the close relationship between animal and keeper.” However, the passage does not mention that the leopards did not adapt to life at the Sharjah Breeding Centre initially. Hence the answer is D.

Answer: B
Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 4 – line 6

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph G says that “The arrival of these two animals led to the construction of the Breeding Centre in which the leopard has played the role of flagship species.” This clearly indicates that the leopard is regarded as the most important animal at the Centre. Hence the answer is B.

Answer: D
Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 7 – line 10

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph A say that “In the last four years, more than 900 mammals and reptiles and 969 birds have arrived at the centre, including 25 North African cheetahs, Houbara bustard and falcons, lions, a baby Nile crocodile and a Burmese python that was left in a rental car at the airport.” However, it is not mentioned in the passage that half of any of these animals were born at the Breeding centre. Hence the answer is D.

Answer: B
Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph H, line 2 – line 3

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph H says that “Male leopards are known to have killed their partners on introduction, so it is essential for the keeper to understand the leopards’ behaviour to decide when it is safe to do so.” This indicates that the leopards can be dangerous to one another. Hence the answer is B.

Answer: C
Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph G, line 2 – line 3

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph H says that “Once more, the secret to the centre’s success is the close relationship between animal and keeper.” This suggests that the role of the keeper is vital in the breeding programme of the animals at the breeding centre. Hence the answer is C.

Answer: A
Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 1 – line 3

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph C says that “Because this group was still young and inexperienced in courtship matters, the keepers had to make the introductions only after careful planning and management, much like the lead role in a Jane Austen novel.” Since Paragraph C is a continuation of Paragraph B, it can be concluded that the first cheetahs were young when they arrived. Hence the answer is A.

Answer: B
Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph G, line 3 – line 5

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph G say that “The leopard is usually shy and secretive with people around, but here they react positively to the presence of their keepers, approaching the fence so they can be talked to or scratched behind an ear.” This clearly shows that the leopard is normally difficult for humans to approach. Hence the answer is B.

Answer: reptiles
Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 7 – line 10

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph A says that “In the last four years, more than 900 mammals and reptiles and 969 birds have arrived at the centre, including 25 North African cheetahs, Houbara bustard and falcons, lions, a baby Nile crocodile and a Burmese python that was left in a rental car at the airport.” This suggests that the Sharjah Breeding Centre now has a variety of animals including birds, mammals and reptiles. Hence the answer is reptiles.

Answer: expanding
Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph A – Paragraph H

Answer explanation: It is clear from the passage and the name of the centre that its prime focus is to breed and increase/expand the number of animals of each species they have rescued. Hence the answer is expanding.

Answer: diversity
Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 1 – line 4

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph D say that “The Breeding Centre’s cheetahs are also participants in the European breeding programme, which aims to ensure that the genetic diversity of this endangered species is maintained and expanded by breeding as many founder animals as possible to introduce new bloodlines into the captive population.” This suggests that the breeding centre aims to maintain the diversity of bloodlines in order to retain genetic health. Hence the answer is diversity.

Answer: behaviour
Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, Paragraph G, Paragraph H

Answer explanation: Paragraphs C, G and H talk about the complex behaviour of the leopards and cheetahs at the breeding centre, especially when these animals are made to mate. We also understand that the keepers of these animals have to establish trust in order to help them breed. However, there has been a success in the breeding programme of both the North African cheetahs and Arabian leopards. Hence the answer is behaviour.

Answer: success
Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, Paragraph G, Paragraph H

Answer explanation: Paragraphs C, G and H talk about the complex behaviour of the leopards and cheetahs at the breeding centre, especially when these animals are made to mate. We also understand that the keepers of these animals have to establish trust in order to help them breed. However, there has been a success in the breeding programme of both the North African cheetahs and Arabian leopards. Hence the answer is success.