Japan's mongoose problem finally ends

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Upper Intermediate B2

PDF: Japan's mongoose problem finally ends

Warm-up

Have you ever heard about mongooses before?

Vocabulary Match

population •• let go
released •• number
eradicated •• plan
campaign •• gone
monitoring •• watching
recover •• get better

Vocabulary Answers

populationnumber
releasedlet go
eradicatedgone
campaignplan
monitoringwatching
recoverget better

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In 1979, about 30 mongooses were ________ on Amami Oshima to control dangerous habu snakes. However, the plan failed because mongooses hunt during the day, while habu snakes are active at night. Instead, the mongooses began eating native animals, including rare birds, frogs and the Amami rabbit.

With plenty of food and few natural competitors, their ________ grew to about 10,000 by 2000. Japan began a major ________ to remove them from the island. Thousands of traps were used, and specially trained dogs helped find their scent. The last mongoose was caught in 2018. After six more years of careful ________, Japan declared the species ________ in 2024. Native wildlife is now beginning to ________.

In 1979, about 30 mongooses were released on Amami Oshima to control dangerous habu snakes. However, the plan failed because mongooses hunt during the day, while habu snakes are active at night. Instead, the mongooses began eating native animals, including rare birds, frogs and the Amami rabbit.

With plenty of food and few natural competitors, their population grew to about 10,000 by 2000. Japan began a major campaign to remove them from the island. Thousands of traps were used, and specially trained dogs helped find their scent. The last mongoose was caught in 2018. After six more years of careful monitoring, Japan declared the species eradicated in 2024. Native wildlife is now beginning to recover.

Quiz

  1. How many mongooses were released on Amami Oshima in 1979?
  2. Why did the plan to control habu snakes fail?
  3. What animals did the mongooses start eating?
  4. When did Japan declare the mongooses eradicated?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. About 30 mongooses were released.
  2. The plan failed because mongooses hunt during the day and habu snakes are active at night.
  3. They started eating native animals like rare birds, frogs, and the Amami rabbit.
  4. Japan declared them eradicated in 2024.

True or False

  1. 1979 mongooses were released on Amami Oshima. T F
  2. The mongooses and habu snakes are active at the same time. T F
  3. Native wildlife on Amami Oshima is beginning to recover. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True

Conversation

A:So, releasing mongooses was a good idea, right?
B:Not really. They didn't even catch the snakes!
A:What did they do then?
B:They ate everything else instead.
A:Oh no! That sounds like a disaster.
B:Yep, but we finally caught the last one in 2018.

Discussion

  1. Do you think animals can help control other animals?
  2. What's your favorite animal and why?
  3. Have you ever seen a snake in real life?
  4. Would you like to visit an island like Amami Oshima?
  5. Do you know anyone who tried to solve a problem but made it worse?

Further Reading

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/in-1979-about-30-mongooses-were-released-on-japans-amami-oshima-to-control-habu-snakes-their-population-later-grew-to-roughly-10000-and-threatened-rare-wildlife-but-after-decades-of-trapping-japan-declared-them-eradicated-in-2024/articleshow/133408769.cms

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