Some big cats throughout history have become extinct because they were replaced with newer species better suited to the environment. (1) the sabretooth (smilodon fatalis) is one example of a large ice-age predator that died out even though the large prey it needed retreated with the glaciers. pumas and jaguars now roam where the mighty dirk-toothed cats once ruled. natural extinction is part of the grand drama of life on earth. (2) thus, many more cat species are in danger of dying out due to unnatural extinction, the killing of an entire species by man for reasons having nothing to do with fitness for survival. these species are not replaced with better ones; their death merely leaves a hole in the fabric of life on earth. 2 many big cats have been killed because they either compete with humans for the same prey animals or because they occasionally attack human-raised livestock. (3) some that become too weak to hunt their own natural prey, big cats find domestic livestock much simpler to acquire. other big cats develop a taste for livestock out of sheer opportunity. there are times when control of individual predators, through moving or killing, appears to be justified. (4) however, there is a much more dangerous approach to predator control where an entire population or even an entire species was classified as a "pest" and open to extermination. extermination is an attempt to kill every last individual of a population or species. there were times when pumas were targeted for extermination in large areas of the american west. bobcats and jaguars have also been targets of extermination campaigns. (5) these days most governments in the world agree that extermination is not a viable form of human intervention, but sometimes local peoples ignore laws designed to protect species from extermination. 3 the majority of people in western countries no longer give big game hunters the same reverence they once held in the writings of ernest hemmingway, especially when they kill animals that are the hunters rather than the hunted. the mystique of the "great white hunter" no longer leads the majority of outdoorsmen to seek trophies for their mantles and entrance halls. (6) however, a number of people still consider locating, outwitting, and to defeat large predators to be the ultimate test of courage and a satisfying form of enjoying the out of doors. while this practice is losing popularity, it should be said in all fairness that more and more sport hunters support laws and practices that prevent the species they hunt from becoming extinct. (7) the cheetah which was once abundant in india hunting to complete extinction. the mughal emperor akbar killed nearly 1000 cheetahs during his lifetime when the number of cheetahs was already dwindling. the asian lion met with the same fate. 4 (8) people who defy existing laws to kill predators for money, animal parts, yet personal reasons are called poachers. as outlaws, many poachers are dangerous people who are willing to protect their livlihood through violent means. (9) famous conservation leaders george adamson and diane fossey who saw them as a threat were killed by poachers. stopping poaching is very difficult because most big cat habitat is remote land that is difficult to patrol and exists in some of the world's poorest countries without many law enforcement resources. (10) the most effective way to curb poaching is to reduce the demand for the products they provide. read the passage on the left to answer the following questions: 29) sentences (), and (6) make use of a) transitions. b) active verbs. c) adverb clauses. d) extended metaphors.