The sad and
unfortunate fact is that some species of animals are struggling to survive
for a number of reasons. In the past 200 years, people have cut down forests
and cleared vast areas of land to grow crops or graze cattle and sheep.
Great cities have also been built and rivers dammed to supply water and
electricity.

When this sort of activity
happens, habitats are destroyed and the animals are forced to move on.
Most animals, however, are adapted to live in certain habitats and cannot
survive elsewhere. If too much of an animal's habitat is destroyed, their
whole species may become extinct.

Australia has lost 18 species
of mammals, 3 species of bird, one reptile and an unknown number of insect
in the past 200 years. What can be done to stop this? How can we protect
our native Australian animals? By the end of this Session Topic you should
have a better understanding of endangered animals and how we can help them.
Make sure you carefully read all the information before each activity.

What
you need to do...

* To complete
this session, you need to work through each activity listed below.

From your reading so far, WRITE
a list of all the native Australian animals that are threatened by extinction.
Also list the cause of the problem if you know it. You may complete this
task with a partner and write you answers into your Unit Book.

Visit the following "links"
to find out more information about the threats to our native Australian
animals. Carefully read each of the pages. You may also like to PRINT
a copy to keep in your Unit Book.

Use "ClarisWorks", "HyperStudio"
or "PowerPoint" to create an advertisement about the threats to
our native animals. Your presentation should outline the causes of the
problems and suggest possible solutions. If you use "HyperStudio"
or "PowerPoint", your presentation must be no longer than
3
pages. This task is to be completed in your "Activity Groups".

Search
the internet for information on animal "care groups". Start
with the RSPCA web site. What other
groups can you find? We will discuss the roles of different groups in class, so keep a record in your Unit Book of those you find.