Question

Writing prompt: What was the author trying to get readers to understand in Elephants Die Very

Young?
Expectations: Use the sentence above in your first paragraph.
Your teacher will project an 12-15-minute timer. Use your time wisely to complete your response. When
you hear the timer sound, complete the sentence you are working on. Then read your writing aloud to your
assigned PAL and let your PAL respond to what is strong about your writing at the bottom of the entry
page.
Write at least two more paragraphs using 5-6 of the key terms.
Key terms: advocate, Burmese enterprise, captivity, cardiovascular disease, colleagues, endangered,
infanticide, longevity, matriarchal groups, median lifespan, mortality, obesity, pachyderm, premature,
stillbirth, stress, wildlife reserve, zoologist
Your written entry: In 3-4 paragraphs, use 5-6 key terms in your response to the prompt.

Answer 1

In Elephants Die Very Young, the author was trying to get readers to understand the devastating impact that captivity has had on the median lifespan of pachyderms. Captivity has drastically reduced the median lifespan of elephants from an average of 65 years in the wild to less than 17 years in captivity, a statistic that has alarmed zoologists and wildlife advocates. Elephants living in captivity are much more likely to suffer from obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and premature deaths, which are all far less common in wild elephants. Furthermore, captive elephants are subject to intense stress, leading to stillbirths, infanticide, and other mortality rates that are much higher than in the wild.

Wildlife conservationists and zoologists have long been advocating for better conditions for captive elephants, and some Burmese enterprises have responded by creating wildlife reserves that offer better living conditions and improved longevity. Matriarchal groups of elephants living in these reserves have been observed to have longer lifespans than their counterparts in captivity, with some elephants reaching the median lifespan of 65 years. However, the species is still endangered, and the stress of captivity has had a serious impact on overall mortality rates.

In order to protect the species, zoologists and wildlife advocates must continue to work together to improve the living conditions of captive elephants and create more wildlife reserves that can preserve the species. Elephants living in captivity must be given the opportunity to live in better conditions, and the mortality rates of this majestic animal must be reduced to prevent further population decline. Only then will the species have a chance to survive in the long term and reach the median lifespan that it is capable of.