If you want to develop your listening skills, try these tasks as you listen to the text. The answers are at the bottom of this page. Thanks to Natasha Groves for preparing the tasks.
If you want to listen and read, just scroll down to the News story.
Use the vocabulary list to check the meanings of some words before you listen.
Vocabulary
smart – in this context, intelligent, clever
lead – in this context, a heavy, soft grey metal
flashing – metal used on joints on a roof or around windows or doors, to prevent water getting into a building
chew – in this context, to bite on something continuously in order to taste it
ammunition – bullets that are fired from guns
bylaw – a law made by a local government
Try these activities while listening
1. Listening for main ideas
First, just listen to the text, taking notes if you wish. What information can you catch during this first listening?
2. Now listen again and answer the following questions:
- Where do kea live?
- What do kea like to do?
- Why should people not feed kea?
- How many kea are there in the wild now?
- Where can lead be found?
- Why is lead a problem for kea?
- What is the Kea Conservation Trust calling for?
- What is the Department of Conservation doing?
News story
The kea is a New Zealand parrot, like the kākāpō and the kākā. The kea lives in mountain areas and forests in the South Island. It is a very smart bird and likes to investigate things.
The kea’s intelligence and curiosity make it unafraid of people. This is leading to a problem, because some people are feeding kea in Arthur’s Pass. Human food is not good for kea. Furthermore, if kea hang around waiting for food from people, they are often hit by cars and killed. This is serious because there are fewer than 7,000 kea in the wild now. They are listed as Threatened – Nationally Endangered, which is the second-highest threat level in New Zealand.
Another problem for kea is lead poisoning. Lead is present in some building materials, such as nails and flashings, particularly in older buildings constructed before 1991. Kea sometimes chew on these and consume some lead. Lead is also present in some ammunition, so if kea chew on dead animals that have been shot with lead ammunition, they can get lead in their system. Lead poisoning is one of the major threats to kea. It can kill them if they are not treated promptly.
Groups which are trying to protect kea are working on solutions to these problems. The Kea Conservation Trust is calling for the Selwyn District Council to introduce bylaws to stop people feeding kea in Arthur’s Pass. The Trust also has funding available for individuals and businesses who want to remove lead from buildings in areas where kea live. The Department of Conservation (also called DOC) also encourages people not to feed kea, to remove all sources of lead, and to make properties as boring as possible to kea. DOC is removing lead from its huts in the bush and mountains.
Answers – you don’t have to write a complete sentence as long as you have the key idea in your answer.
a. Where do kea live?
In mountain areas and forests in the South Island
b. What do kea like to do?
Investigate things
c. Why should people not feed kea?
Human food is not good for kea; if kea hang around waiting for food from people, they are often hit by cars and killed
d. How many kea are there in the wild now?
Fewer than 7,000
e. Where can lead be found?
In some building materials, such as nails and flashings, particularly in older buildings constructed before 1991; in some ammunition
f. Why is lead a problem for kea?
It can kill them if they are not treated promptly
g. What is the Kea Conservation Trust calling for?
Bylaws to stop people feeding kea in Arthur’s Pass
h. What is the Department of Conservation doing?
Encouraging people not to feed kea, to remove all sources of lead, to make properties as boring as possible to kea. Also removing lead from its huts in the bush and mountains.