Rhino Rescue: Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife (Firefly Animal Rescue) - Softcover

Hamilton, Garry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1552979105 ISBN 13: 9781552979105

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2006

Synopsis

"Whenever you touch a rhino, you think you're touching a dinosaur."
- from the introduction

A rhinoceros is a powerful beast weighing 3 tons or more and wielding a deadly horn up to five feet long. Ruthlessly slaughtered for centuries, rhinos are suddenly one of conservation's great success stories as populations of white rhinos and black rhinos recover. Even so, rhinos are still at risk: Javan and Sumatran rhinos are close to extinction and the world rhino population is still less than it was just 30 years ago.

Rhino Rescue profiles people around the world who are helping rhinos, including:

• Terri Roth of the Cincinnati Zoo, who guided the successful breeding of a rare Sumatran rhino in captivity for the first time in 112 years
• Esmond Martin, who helped stop the use of rhino horn in ceremonial daggers, a change that saved thousands of rhinos
• Rob Brett, who risks his life relocating rhinos, a key to successful conservation
• Bibhab Talukdar, a conservationist from India, who does almost anything to protect the Indian rhino, including going undercover to nab poachers.

Illustrated with 50 spectacular color photographs, Rhino Rescue also surveys the biological issues in and challenges of preserving a future for endangered wildlife.

About the Firefly Animal Rescue series:

The Firefly Animal Rescue identifies endangered and threatened species and what is being done to protect them. Combining lively, accessible text and stunning color photographs, each book provides a detailed overview of the species, describing its characteristics, behavior, habits, physiology and more.

"These attractive books are a call to action... fascinating readable accounts."
- School Library Journal

"Succinct introductions to the science and practice of wildlife conservation... written in accessible, lively language."
- Booklist

About this title

About the Author

Garry Hamilton is also the award-winning author of Frog Rescue. His articles have appeared internationally in newspapers and magazines such as Wildlife Conservation, New Scientist, Equinox and Canadian Geographic.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Comeback Kid

Throughout history, the rhinoceros has been regarded as nature's heavy hitter -- a powerful beast that can weigh 3 tons (2,700 kg) while wielding a deadly horn up to 5 feet (1.5 m) long. It's well known for charging humans, head-butting trees, buckling the sides of rugged vehicles and stomping its way through roaring campfires.

Now the rhino has a new reputation -- the comeback kid.

Ruthlessly slaughtered for centuries, these great beasts are one of conservation's great success stories. Just look at the white rhinoceros, the second-largest land mammal next to the African elephant. A century ago there were only a few dozen living in a single game reserve in what is now South Africa. Today there are nearly 12,000 in several African countries, and the number continues to grow each year.

Or consider the Indian rhino of central Asia. In India's Kaziranga National Park this species numbered barely a dozen in the early 1990s. Now there are 1,550 of these magnificent animals. In Nepal too, the Indian rhino is being reintroduced into its former range.

Even the notoriously aggressive black rhino, victim of one of the worst wildlife massacres ever, appears to be making a comeback.

The story is not all brightness. The total number of rhinos alive today -- estimated at 17,500 -- remains only a fraction of what it was even 30 years ago. And both the Javan and Sumatran rhinos of Southeast Asia remain perilously close to extinction. Poaching (illegal hunting) remains a constant threat as demand for rhino horn remains high, both as a traditional Asian medicine, and to make ceremonial dagger handles that are highly treasured by Muslims in Yemen.

But conservation efforts around the world are addressing these problems, and the rising numbers suggest there's good reason for optimism. For now at least, the brute is back.

About this edition

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1552979105
• ISBN 13: 9781552979105
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 64