Title of Article :
Huge Animals with a Touching History
White Rhino Conservation
Url of Article : http://www.southafrica.net/sat/content/en/us/full-article?oid=8450&sn=Detail&pid=7014
Huge Animals with a Touching History
White Rhino Conservation
White rhino conservation seems entirely superfluous – this animal looks quite indestructible. But its population plummeted to no more than a few hundred during the 1960s. That’s when a group of South Africans, including legendary conservationist Dr Ian Player, turned everything around.
White rhino conservation - hope for the species.
DID YOU KNOW?
The white rhino is also called the 'square-lipped rhinoceros' because of its square upper lip, which it uses for grazing.
A generally peaceful beast, the white rhino has something of a prehistoric, Jurassic Park look to it. Its springy gait belies its tank-like weight - an average of two tons. In fact, this is the second largest animal on land, and like most charismatic mega fauna, is found only in Africa.
At first glance, white rhino conservation seems entirely superfluous - this animal looks quite indestructible. But its population plummeted to no more than a few hundred during the 1960s.
The reason for its decline was its horn, which is made of keratin - compacted hair. Rhinos were poached to obtain the horn, used for centuries as a fever-reducing ingredient and as an aphrodisiac in traditional Chinese medicine. In the Middle East it also in demand for prestigious dagger handles.
In South Africa rhino conservation has taken dramatic turns. Great battles have been fought to save the animal - the most famous by Dr Ian Player and a handful of men working to relocate white rhinos from the Umfolozi Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal (a sanctuary for most of the population) to other parts of the world between 1958 and 1964.
Until then, no one knew how to transport rhinos. Dr Player asked a local doctor how much morphine it would take to drug a large animal like a hippo or rhino, and the medico snapped back irritably: ‘A bucketful man, a bucketful.
White rhino conservation received a tremendous boost in the early 1990s when these behemoths were allowed to be privately owned by South African game farm owners.
White rhino in South Africa today number well over 10 000 and the species, once critically endangered, is now only on the near-threatened list.
Reflections
What I have learnt.
White rhino conservations in south africa has been improving and but at start people thought rhinos were indestructible so there was no need to conserve them. People realised the rhinos were becoming extinct and decided to save them. After the much effort, the rhinos are becoming safer.
The reason for its decline was its horn, which is made of compacted hair. Rhinos were poached to obtain the horn, used for centuries as a fever-reducing ingredient and as an aphrodisiac in traditional Chinese medicine.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Journal 2 - Research on the White Rhinoes.
Title of article : White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum)
Url of article : http://www.arkive.org/white-rhinoceros/ceratotherium-simum/info.html
Southern white rhinoceros
Facts
Also known as: square-lipped rhinoceros, Northern White Rhinoceros, White rhino
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Perissodactyla
Family Rhinocerotidae
Genus Ceratotherium (1)
Size Male head-and-body length: 3.7 – 4 m (2)
Female head-and-body length: 3.4 – 3.65 m (2)
Tail length: 70 cm (2)
Male shoulder height: 1.7 – 1.86 m (2)
Female shoulder height: 1.6 – 1.77 m (2)
Male weight: 2.3 tonnes (2)
Female weight: 1.7 tonnes (2)
Status
Classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List (1). Two subspecies of the white rhinoceros are recognised: northern (C. s. cottoni), and southern (C. s. simum). The northern white rhinoceros is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List and listed on Appendix I of CITES; the southern white rhinoceros is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List and listed on Appendix I of CITES, except in South Africa and Swaziland, where it is listed on Appendix II (1) (3).
Description
Amongst the most charismatic and recognisable of Africa’s mega-fauna (4), the white rhinoceros is the largest of the five rhinoceros species and one of the world’s biggest land animals, second only to the African and Asian elephant in size (5) (6). Unlike its common name suggests, this enormous, virtually hairless mammal is not in fact white, but slate-grey to yellowish-brown in colour (5) (7). The ‘white’ likely comes from a mistranslation of the Afrikaner word for ‘wide’, referring to the animal’s wide mouth (5). Indeed, this species is often called the ‘square-lipped rhinoceros’ because of its broad, square, rather than pointed, flexible upper lip, differentiating it from the black rhino (Diceros bicornis). The white rhinoceros can also be distinguished from its African cousin by its longer skull, less sharply defined forehead and more pronounced shoulder hump (7). Like the black rhinoceros and Sumatran rhinoceros, this species has two horns, the front being longer and averaging 60 cm in length, but occasionally reaching up to a enormous 1.5 m (5) (7).
Range
Two geographically separated subspecies of white rhinoceros are recognised, the northern and the southern (1). Once ranging in large numbers throughout north-central Africa south of the Sahara (8), the northern subspecies is now amongst the rarest of all rhinos, occurring only in the Garamba National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (1), where as few as four animals were counted during intensive surveys in 2006 (9). Meanwhile, the southern subspecies is the most numerous of all the world’s rhinos, with its stronghold in South Africa (93%) (10). Much smaller populations exist following reintroductions within the subspecies’ former range in Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe and introduced outside their historical range in Zambia, Uganda and Kenya (1) (5) (11).
Reflections
What I have learnt.
I have learnt that white rhinos are also known by different names. The white rhinos are the largest species of rhinos and it is not actually white in colour. Most of the rhinos left are found in South Africa. Smaller populations are found in different areas such as Kenya and Uganda.
The white rhinos are left with little land to roam and are starting to become extinct due to the poaching of them. The white rhinos have many distinctive features about them as stated above and can be easily recognised.
Url of article : http://www.arkive.org/white-rhinoceros/ceratotherium-simum/info.html
Southern white rhinoceros
Facts
Also known as: square-lipped rhinoceros, Northern White Rhinoceros, White rhino
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Perissodactyla
Family Rhinocerotidae
Genus Ceratotherium (1)
Size Male head-and-body length: 3.7 – 4 m (2)
Female head-and-body length: 3.4 – 3.65 m (2)
Tail length: 70 cm (2)
Male shoulder height: 1.7 – 1.86 m (2)
Female shoulder height: 1.6 – 1.77 m (2)
Male weight: 2.3 tonnes (2)
Female weight: 1.7 tonnes (2)
Status
Classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List (1). Two subspecies of the white rhinoceros are recognised: northern (C. s. cottoni), and southern (C. s. simum). The northern white rhinoceros is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List and listed on Appendix I of CITES; the southern white rhinoceros is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List and listed on Appendix I of CITES, except in South Africa and Swaziland, where it is listed on Appendix II (1) (3).
Description
Amongst the most charismatic and recognisable of Africa’s mega-fauna (4), the white rhinoceros is the largest of the five rhinoceros species and one of the world’s biggest land animals, second only to the African and Asian elephant in size (5) (6). Unlike its common name suggests, this enormous, virtually hairless mammal is not in fact white, but slate-grey to yellowish-brown in colour (5) (7). The ‘white’ likely comes from a mistranslation of the Afrikaner word for ‘wide’, referring to the animal’s wide mouth (5). Indeed, this species is often called the ‘square-lipped rhinoceros’ because of its broad, square, rather than pointed, flexible upper lip, differentiating it from the black rhino (Diceros bicornis). The white rhinoceros can also be distinguished from its African cousin by its longer skull, less sharply defined forehead and more pronounced shoulder hump (7). Like the black rhinoceros and Sumatran rhinoceros, this species has two horns, the front being longer and averaging 60 cm in length, but occasionally reaching up to a enormous 1.5 m (5) (7).
Range
Two geographically separated subspecies of white rhinoceros are recognised, the northern and the southern (1). Once ranging in large numbers throughout north-central Africa south of the Sahara (8), the northern subspecies is now amongst the rarest of all rhinos, occurring only in the Garamba National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (1), where as few as four animals were counted during intensive surveys in 2006 (9). Meanwhile, the southern subspecies is the most numerous of all the world’s rhinos, with its stronghold in South Africa (93%) (10). Much smaller populations exist following reintroductions within the subspecies’ former range in Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe and introduced outside their historical range in Zambia, Uganda and Kenya (1) (5) (11).
Reflections
What I have learnt.
I have learnt that white rhinos are also known by different names. The white rhinos are the largest species of rhinos and it is not actually white in colour. Most of the rhinos left are found in South Africa. Smaller populations are found in different areas such as Kenya and Uganda.
The white rhinos are left with little land to roam and are starting to become extinct due to the poaching of them. The white rhinos have many distinctive features about them as stated above and can be easily recognised.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Journal 1 - Research on the White Rhinoes.
Title of article : White Rhinoceros
Url of article : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rhinoceros
1. What is the article about?
The White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist and is one of the few megafaunal species left. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The White Rhino is the most common of all rhinos and consists of two subspecies: the Southern White Rhino, with an estimated 17,480 wild-living animals at the end of 2007, and the much rarer Northern White Rhino. The northern subspecies may have 7 remaining worldwide, all captive 1 male 6 female which are out breeding age.
A popular theory of the origins of the name White Rhinoceros is a mistranslation from Dutch to English. The English word "white" in English is said to have been derived by mistranslation of the Dutch word "wijd", which means "wide" in English. The word "wide" refers to the width of the Rhinoceros mouth. So early English-speaking settlers in South Africa misinterpreted the "wijd" for "white" and the rhino with the wide mouth ended up being called the White Rhino and the other one, with the narrow pointed mouth, was called the Black Rhinoceros.
2. What have I learnt?
I have learnt that not many white rhinos are still prowling the earth. If we do not start to take care of them, the white rhinos are going to go extinct and we will never be able to see them again. The northern subspecies of white rhinos are left with a small number of 7 and all of them are not able to breed, which means to say that if all 7 die, the subspecies of rhinos will be extinct.
White Rhinos get their names from mistranslation from Dutch to English from the word "wide" in Dutch. The word wide is used to describe the width of the rhinos mouth. Wide mouthed rhinos were called white rhinos while narrowed mouth rhinos were called black rhinos.
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