If you
were a rhinoceros, - - a big, tough, impressive looking beast - - what kind of
rhinoceros would you be? A boy rhino or a girl rhino? A big one or a more
modestly sized specimen? A white one, or one with a darker hue?
And
would you be one from the North, or would you rather come from the South?
The
first questions are just speculation. The last one, though, -- that’s the
question that makes all the difference.
The
Northern White Rhino and the Southern White Rhino are very different animals.
Not physically. No, when you look at them, it’s hard to tell them apart. But at
a genetic level, they are two distinct sub-species. Okay, so you can only see
that difference under a microscope, and even then only if you have a certain
kind of science degree. But there’s a much bigger, much more visible difference.
And it’s hard to know how two very similar creatures could take such divergent
paths.
Long
ago, both the Northern and Southern varieties of rhino roamed across the
expansive plains of Africa in uncountable numbers. It’s amazing to think of
them by the hundreds, wandering through the Serengeti in big herds, perhaps
kicking up the dust, or gathering around a river to splash and drink in the
dimming, orange light of the an African sunset.
But,
somewhere along the line, someone decided that the rhinoceros horn was
valuable. More valuable than the rest of the animal, apparently, since they’ll altogether
kill the animal just to get that horn. Some cultures use the horn as a
medicine, while, to some, the horn is a status symbol. Either way, the animals
began dying in terrible numbers. Laws
were passed in the hopes of protecting them, and that was a start. But, as in
so many cases, the sport of hunting simply changed its name to the crime of
poaching, and the animals continued dying until both species were hunted nearly
off the face of the Earth.
Now,
here’s where the Northern and the Southern took vastly different routes in
life, though not by their own choosing by any means.
The
Southern White Rhino is one of the world’s most successful animal revival
stories. It was thought to be an extinct species until a small herd of around
100 animals was found in 1895. Today, through years of protection and vigilant
management, the species has rejuvenated to an astounding more than 20,000
individuals.
The Northern
White Rhinoceros has become on of the most tragic animal stories of modern
times. Today there remain only three living specimens on Planet Earth. They
must all live in captivity and under heavy, armed guard. The last three animals
are two females and a male. But, just to make things more complicated, they’re
all too elderly to have babies. Many fear it may be the end for the species.
Yet one
more of Mother Nature’s creatures we’ve wiped out.
Scientists
have a plan, though. They’ve collected the material they need from the animals,
and they’re working on preparations to use it to artificially inseminate a
Southern White Rhino. Is it possible that could save the species? Experts say
it could take at least a decade to find out.
That’s
a chunk of time to have to wait, but in the meantime, it might give us an
opportunity to do some serious thinking - - about how to make sure this never
happens again.
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