[ENVIRONMENT ★]
CROCODILES OWNED BY DRUG LORDS ALMOST STARVE
(P1) More than 10,000 crocodiles in Honduras that had gone hungry for weeks because their owners had their ASSETS FROZEN were fed on Tuesday.
(P2) The crocodiles are bred for their skin and meat at a farm owned by members of the influential Rosenthal family.
(P3) The US treasury on 7 October froze the assets of Jaime Rosenthal, his son Yani and nephew Yankel.
(P4) Yankel Rosenthal had been arrested the previous day at Miami airport.
(P5) US investigators accuse the three of MONEY LAUNDERING and drug trafficking.
(P6) The state-run Forest Conservation Institute DONATED 1,500kg (3,000lb) of chicken to the farm after news EMERGED that the animals had not been fed since the Rosenthals’ assets were frozen.
(P7) A Honduran firm donated two tons of cow ENTRAILS to feed the crocodiles and some lions which also live at the farm.
(P8) But local media reported that the farm’s employees refused to feed the animals until their WAGES had been paid.
(P9) The Forest Conservation Institute said it would find a way to reach an agreement with the workers.
(P10) On Tuesday it announced that both the entrails and the chicken had been fed to the animals.
(P11) The farm’s manager said the food would last for “two to three days”.
(P12) About 11,000 crocodiles and seven lions live at the farm.
(P13) As well as the crocodile farm, the family owns a newspaper, a football club, and a bank.
(P14) The bank, Banco Continental, is being LIQUIDATED, and the newspaper, Tiempo, has not been published since last week.
(P15) The Rosenthals have played key roles in Honduran politics for decades.
(P16) Jaime Rosenthal, 79, served as the country’s vice-president from 1986 to 1990 and ran for president on a number of occasions.
(P17) Yani Rosenthal, who had presidential ASPIRATIONS, was a government minister from 2006 to 2009.
(P18) Yankel Rosenthal is also a former minister and owns one of Honduras’ most famous football clubs.
WORDS: 313
SOURCE: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-34720634
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Have you ever owned any items made of reptile skin (snake, LIZARD, crocodile, ALLIGATOR)?
- What do you think will happen to the crocodiles now?
- Money laundering is often international IN SCOPE. Why is this true?
- What families in your country are famous for owning many different businesses?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- Frozen assets
- Money laundering
- In scope
