[WORLD NEWS ★]
MAN RESCUED FROM POLAR BEAR ENCLOSURE AT ZOO
(P1) A man jumped inside a POLAR BEAR pit Wednesday at the Copenhagen Zoo, forcing zookeepers to fire rubber bullets at the 621-kilogram (1,369-pound) bear so they could rescue him.
(P2) The man leaped into the ENCLOSURE shortly after noon as guests, including children, were watching the 10-year-old bear.
(P3) Zoo staffers at first yelled to DISTRACT the animal from his potential PREY before others with FIREARMS arrived, firing rubber bullets to get the huge animal to back off. Once the bear returned to its cage, zoo employees entered the enclosure to rescue the INTRUDER.
(P4) “He walked up to the male bear” but was able to get away with “only SUPERFICIAL WOUNDS,” said park manager Steffen Straede, who was visibly upset at the incident.
(P5) “He went up to the bear and it examined him by SNIFFING him and SHOVING him,” zoo SPOKESMAN Jacob Munkholm added.
(P6) “It didn’t take more than a minute and a half from the alarm going off when he entered the enclosure until our guards… shot rubber bullets at the bear and it moved away from him,” he said.
(P7) The man, reportedly in his twenties, was not identified and his motive for entering the enclosure was unclear. He was taken to a hospital for TREATMENT.
(P8) The zoo has no plans to make any changes to the enclosures following Wednesday’s incident, Straede added.
(P9) In July 2012, Siberian tigers FATALLY MAULED a 21-year-old Afghan-born man who entered an enclosure at the same zoo.
WORDS: 249
SOURCE: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/12/02/world/europe/ap-eu-denmark-polar-bear.html
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.
- Why do you think the man entered the enclosure?
- Despite looking CUDDLY, polar bears are one of the most dangerous animals in the zoo. Why are they so dangerous?
- Have you ever had a scary ENCOUNTER with an animal?
- Do animals need protection from people more than people need protection from animals?
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.
- Polar bear
