Living with Nature —Takita Asuka’s Journey

Section 1
　I’m Takita Asuka,/a veterinarian in Kenya.// I have been working/to protect African wildlife,/especially elephants.// In Africa,/over 20,000 elephants are killed/by illegal hunters every year.// They want the elephants’ ivory.// African elephants have been in danger of extinction/for many years.//
　To take care of animals,/my colleagues and I/often drive on rough roads/for more than 200 kilometers/a day.// Sometimes/I even fly a light plane/to look for injured animals.// I also work with rangers/to protect animals/from illegal hunters.//
　I have been living in a tent/in the savanna/for more than ten years.// People often ask me,/“Aren’t you scared/to live near wild animals?”// In fact,/I sometimes hear lions roar/near my tent at night,/but I’m used to it.//