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MY BOOK ON RHINOS AND OTHER ENDANGERED ANIMALS

Name ___________________________________

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Welcome to the Helping Rhinos booklet on rhinos and other endangered species! This book forms part of the wider Helping Rhinos Rhinocation programme. We hope you enjoy reading about rhinos, pangolins and elephants, and doing the activities suggested.

Helping Rhinos is a charity which is trying to help to protect the world’s rhinos, before they become extinct! We love all animals – especially rhinos, and think they are fascinating and beautiful. We hope that you will learn a lot about them and feel the same, after reading this booklet and doing the activities!

While you are reading our booklet, if you find an underlined word you don’t understand, please look at the end of the booklet where there is a glossary to help you.

If you are able to use a computer, please do look up helpingrhinos.org, where you will find many more pictures and information on rhinos and conservation.

Many thanks to Anne Cheadle for the lovely drawings.

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THE RHINOCEROS FAMILY TREE

There are 5 species of rhino in the world

Above are shown the main rhino species, but there are also subspecies of the rhino groups, for example, the northern white rhino and the southern white rhino are a subspecies of the white rhino.

There are also three subspecies of the black rhino. There were four, but one species (the West African black rhino) was declared extinct in 2011. The eastern Sumatran rhino, a subspecies of the Sumatran rhino, which was the world’s smallest rhino, is now likely to be extinct in the wild.

RHINOCEROS

African Rhino

1. Black Rhino 2. White Rhino

Asian Rhino

3. Javan Rhino

4. Indian (Greater One

Horned) Rhino5. Sumatran

Rhino

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AFRICAN RHINOS

THE WHITE RHINO The white rhino is one of the two rhino species found in Africa. Despite its name the white rhino is not actually white at all, its skin is grey in colour. White rhinos have two horns and a square upper lip which help them to graze.

White rhino can grow to be larger than any other land mammal except for elephants. Despite their huge size they can run as fast as 40 miles per hour! The white rhinos tend to live in small herds of one to seven animals. You can recognize a white rhino by its two “saddles” (dips) on its back, and by the way they hold their heads low to the ground as they walk, in order to graze.

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THE BLACK RHINO

The black rhino is smaller than the white, and is also grey coloured. Their upper lip has a type of beak shape which it uses for grasping and holding leaves and branches into its mouth, rather like we might use our fingers. The black rhino is also known as the hook lipped rhino and has two horns.

They are shy animals who prefer to live alone. They usually keep well hidden from humans and can be quite aggressive if they feel threatened. A black rhino has one “saddle” (dip) on its back.

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ASIAN RHINOS

THE GREATER ONE HORNED (INDIAN) RHINO

The greater one horned rhino is the largest of the three Asian species of rhinos and can stand at six feet tall. The Indian rhino has a single black horn and a grey skin with pinkish skin folds, which looks as though it is wearing armour. The greater one horned rhinos’ upper legs and shoulders are covered in wart-like bumps. They like to live alone not in groups.

These rhinos are great swimmers and on land can run up to 35 miles an hour for a short time.

THE SUMATRAN RHINO

The Sumatran rhino or ‘hairy’ rhino as it is sometimes referred to, is the smallest of the rhinos. It has fringed ears, reddish-brown skin covered with long hair and wrinkles around its eyes. It has two horns.

The Sumatran rhino is the closest living relative to the woolly rhino.

THE JAVAN RHINO

They are the most endangered of all the five species of rhino with only as few 50 thought to still survive in the wild today. The Javan rhino might become extinct very soon unless people protect it.

They are hairless, and have thick, loose grey and brown hanging skin which looks like they are wearing armour (rather like the Indian rhino). It uses its pointed upper lip for hooking tasty leaves and branches, as you can see it doing in the picture below. The male of the species has a single horn.

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HABITATS

Habitat means the natural home of an animal, plant, or other living creature. Here are some pictures of the rhino habitats talked about in this book.

African savannah

Tropical rainforest (Asia)

Tropical swamp (Asia)

Images : freedigitalphotos.net

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RHINO HABITATS AND DIET

White Rhino Habitat

Its habitats are grassland and savannahs. It is a herbivore and can eat plants that are poisonous to other animals. If it was not for these types of rhinos, the African plains would be full of these poisonous plants, so they form an important part of the ecosytem. A white rhino can eat more than 120kg of grass each day. The white rhino tends to avoid the heat during the day, in which it will rest in the shade. They need to feed every day but can survive for 4 to 5 days without water.

The white rhino is found in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Tanzania and Uganda in the continent of AFRICA.

Black Rhino Habitat The black rhino is a browser, often found in thick bush and wooded areas (which are good for food and shelter). It eats leafy plants, branches, shoots, thorny bushes and fruit. The black rhino’s diet helps to reduce the amount of woody plants which means more grasses can grow for other species to eat.The black rhino is found in Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in the continent of AFRICA.

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The Greater One Horned Rhino

The Greater One Horned (Indian) rhino is a grazer and can often be found in tropical swamps and forests. They will often spend up to 60% of the day wallowing in water and are quite accustomed to feeding under water.

The greater one horned rhino is found in India and Nepal in the continent of ASIA.

The Sumatran Rhino

The Sumatran rhino is a browser and some of their favourite foods are leaves, plant tips, twigs and fruits found in thick tropical forests.

Young saplings (trees) are their favourite food and they pull the trees down and trample on them to squash them, before eating them.

The Sumatran rhino is found in Indonesia and Malaysia in the continent of ASIA.

The Javan Rhino The Javan rhino likes to browse on trees, twigs and leaves, although they do also graze on open grassland too. They prefer tropical rainforests and like to be near to lots of water for wallowing.

The Javan rhino is found in Java, an island in Indonesia, in the continent of ASIA.

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RHINO FACTS

All rhinos have very poor eyesight so they use their excellent sense of smell and hearing to stay safe.

The word RHINOCEROS is an old Latin word, and means NOSE HORN.

Baby rhinos squeak!

All females are very loving and protective of their babies, who stay close to them for the first 2-3 years of their lives.

All rhinos love to WALLOW in mud (lie about in it!). The mud cools their skin and protects it from drying out in the hot sun. A layer of mud also protects against insect bites.

A mother rhino is pregnant for up to 16 months before having her baby. This is called her GESTATION time.

A mother rhino will have her first baby aged about 6 years old.

A group of rhinos is called a CRASH of rhinos!

Despite their huge size and bulkiness, rhinos are very fast and agile and can turn very quickly to face the opposite direction!

A rhino can live about 35 - 40 years.

All rhinos are HERBIVORES – this means they only eat plants.

A rhino can eat more than 20kg of plants each day and can produce up to 23kg of dung each day.

An adult rhino can weigh as much as 20 adult men.

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A RHINO CALLED SUDAN

This is a picture of Sudan. He lived in Kenya, and was the last male northern white rhino (a sub-species of the white rhino) left IN THE WORLD!! He was the rarest mammal in the world until he died of old age in March 2018.

All the other rhinos like him were hunted and were forced out of their habitat. Sudan lived with the last two female rhinos of his species on a reserve. They have to be protected at all times by rangers (guards) with guns. Unfortunately both the remaining northern white rhinos are too old to have any more babies, so this rhino species will become extinct when they die.

If you could write a message here to the people who would like to hunt rhinos like Sudan, what would you say to them?

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WHY ARE RHINOS ENDANGERED?

Rhinos are being illegally hunted (poached) for their horns. In some countries, people believe that the horn is a special medicine, and even believe it has magical powers. They grind it up into a powder and dissolve it into a drink. They believe this can cure them of illness like cancer and make them stronger. Powdered horn is very expensive, so only very rich people can afford to buy it.

This is NOT true! Rhino horn is made from something called KERATIN, which is the same thing your fingernails and hair are made from. You

can see what it looks like in the picture on the left. It can’t help cure illness or do anything special at all. Until people start to believe this, rhinos will be hunted and will be endangered. If things don’t change, then they could be extinct by the time you are 20!

In some countries, rhino horn and elephant tusks, are carved to make ornaments for people’s homes. Ivory is also used to make piano keys.

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OTHER ENDANGERED SPECIES

ELEPHANTS There are two types of elephant, the African and the Asian elephant.

The African elephant is the largest of all living creatures on land today. They live in herds that wander the grasslands and savannah, searching for fruits and grasses, and waterholes. Families live together, sometimes in herds of over 1,000 elephants! They are found in many countries in Africa such as South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Uganda.

Asian elephants are much smaller and are found in the tropical jungles of India and China, and throughout most countries in south-east Asia. Asian elephants have been used by people for hundreds of years to work. There are many places across Asia where elephants are kept for tourists to ride, and they are often treated fairly badly. They are found in many Asian countries such as India, Thailand, Nepal, China and Sri Lanka. Today, the elephant is considered an endangered species. This is due to the loss of its habitat and illegal poachers hunting them, for their skins and particularly for their ivory tusks, which are carved to make ornaments for people’s homes.

Asian elephant African elephant

What are some of the differences between them?

(see back of book for answers...but try to spot them yourself first).

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PANGOLIN The pangolin is a rather strange looking animal covered in hard brown scales. Although they look like a reptile, they are in fact a mammal. They are quite small, about the size of a cat. People kill pangolins and use different parts of their bodies to make medicines. But, just like the rhino horn, their scales are made of keratin (like your nails and hair), and are no use as a medicine. Sometimes their skin is used to make things like handbags. They are the most trafficked (hunted) mammal in the world today.

Unfortunately the pangolin is extremely easy to hunt, as if it feels scared, it rolls up into a little ball, which can then just be picked up and put in a bag!

A mother pangolin carries its baby on its tail. It is a nocturnal animal.

They are insectivores, and eat mainly ants and termites. It can eat up to 70 million insects per night!

There are eight different species of pangolins. Four species of them live in Asia, in countries like India, China and Sri Lanka. Four species live in Africa, in countries like South Africa. Their habitats are savannah, woods, grasslands, and rocky areas.

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MORE ENDANGERED SPECIES

Sadly, many other species in the world are also endangered. Here are just some of them.

AFRICA

cheetah, chimpanzee, leopard, ostrich, striped hyena, gorilla

ASIA

Asiatic lion, Bengal tiger, orangutan, komodo dragon, Malayan tapir

EUROPE

lynx, mouse tailed dormouse, long eared bat, Mediterranean monk seal, Azorean bat

AUSTRALIA

Leadbetter’s possum, tree kangaroo, bandicoot, dugong

ANTARTICA

humpback whale, beluga whale, polar bear, blue whale

ARCTIC

Arctic fox, polar bear, wood bison, walrus, Arctic wolf

NORTH AMERICA

red wolf, marmot, condor, pygmy raccoon, Franklin’s bumblebee

SOUTH AMERICA

jaguar, giant armadillo, golden lion tamarin, West Indian manatee

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Here you can see a photo of one endangered species from each continent. Can you work out which species it is? Write the name of the continent on the top line, and the species on the line below it, by each picture, as shown in the first example. (Your teacher has the answers in the accompanying teacher’s notes).

E U R O P E

L O N G / E A R E D / B A T

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

D _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _

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_ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _

C _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ / L _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ All images: Freedigitalphotos.net

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One reason why all these animals are becoming endangered is because of DEFORESTATION. This means that their natural habitat is being destroyed, usually because the land is needed for farming, for crops and palm oil, or for building. Until recently, the Amazon rainforest in South America was being deforested at about the rate of two football fields every single second.

Things have improved in the Amazon, due to the efforts of conservation groups (people who care about the planet and work to find ways to stop this type of destruction), and other groups of people who are trying to save natural habitats before it is too late.

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AN OVERCROWDED WORLD

In both Africa and Asia the natural habitat of the rhino, elephant and pangolin is disappearing as people build more and more villages and towns, and take over land for farming. This is forcing them to live in smaller and smaller areas with other animals, and means there is less food and water available for them.

There are just too many people on our planet!

Throughout the world, people are using up land and water too fast. We need to find a better way to share it amongst ourselves and with all the world’s animals, and to make less waste. Everyone can do little everyday things which can help people and animals to have a better life.

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WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Look at the grid below, and tick the boxes to show the things you already do.

Me My Family My School

re-use bags and plastic bottles

don’t use plastic straws

save and re-use paper

turn off lights if you leave a room.

don’t leave the television on if you aren’t watching it

have a quick shower or small bath, and don’t run the tap unless you really need to

tell 5 people about endangered animals

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RHINO POPULATION STATISTICS

It is not known for certain of existing rhino numbers in the wild today, but conservationists estimate them as follows:

AFRICA

Black rhino c.5000

White rhino c.20 000

ASIA

Javan rhino c. 60

Sumatran rhino c.100

Greater one-horned rhino c.3500

In 1970, there were 70 000 rhinos in the world across all five species.

Today, there are 30 000 (estimated).

Between 1970-1992, 96% of black rhinos were wiped out by poaching in Africa, making it critically endangered. The population of white rhino has decreased by 80% since 1970.

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MIXED UP WORDS

Can you sort out these mixed up words? They are all words you can find in this booklet.

ATTIHBA H__________________

TCNEIX E__________________

GALIPONN P__________________

NNTICTNOE C__________________

NDSSGASARL G__________________

ETIKRAN __________________N

LAWWOL __________________W

These mixed up words are called ANAGRAMS.

Now can you make up some ANAGRAMS of your own and ask a friend to unscramble your words?

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FIND THE COUNTRIES……YOUR TASK:

Use the maps at the back of the booklet as a guide

Using the maps at the back of this booklet, can you find the countries in the box below on your blank maps of Africa and Asia (on the following pages). Write the names of the countries in the correct places on the maps. You will have to write neatly!

AFRICA ASIA

South Africa China

Kenya Nepal

Tanzania Java

Botswana Thailand

Zimbabwe India

Uganda Java

Namibia Sri Lanka

Sudan Malaysia

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A MAP OF THE CONTINENT OF AFRICA

Find the countries (in the table on the previous page) on your map, below, and write in their names

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A MAP OF THE CONTINENT OF ASIA

Find the countries (in the table on the previous page) on your map, below, and write in their names

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Now using your maps, can you show where rhinos live in Africa and Asia? Choose a colour for rhinos, eg. red, then make red dots on your maps to show the countries where they live.

Now choose a different colour for elephants, and do the same thing to show on your maps which countries they live in.

And now choose another colour for pangolins, and make dots on your maps to show where they live too.

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AFRICAN WORDS

There are many different languages spoken in Africa.

Here are some words you might find interesting. Try and say them to yourself or a partner.

Language African word

Rhino:

Swahili faru

Zulu ubhejane

Xhosa umkhombe

Sotho tshukudu e molomo o sephara

Afrikaans renoster

African elephant:

Swahili tembo

Zulu indlovu

Xhosa indlovu

Sotho tlou

Afrikaans Olifant

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Some other words in Zulu and Swahili are:

Zulu:

Hope ngethemba

Love uthando

Trust ithemba

Survive sinda

Swahili:

Hope matumaini

Love upendo

Trust uaminifu

Survive salimika

If you were asked to name a baby rhino whose mother had been poached, what name would you choose in an African language?

And what name would you choose in a non-African language?

Swahili is spoken in many countries including Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa.

There are 11 official languages in South Africa, including:

Zulu is spoken mainly in KwaZulu-Natal.

Xhosa spoken mainly in the Eastern Cape, and the consonants are sounded with a clicking noise.

Afrikaans spoken across the whole country, mainly by the white population.

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COLLECTIVE NOUNS FOR GROUPS OF ANIMALS

You have already learnt that a group of rhinos is called a ......................

Can you find out what the animals are for these collective nouns (group name)? Here’s an easy example to get you started.

Eg. A herd of ................................could be elephants or cows.

A murder of ..................

A dazzle of ......................

A cloud of ......................

A murmuration of ..............................

A parliament of .................................

A flutter of .................................

A clowder of ......................

A smack of ..........................

A bloat of ................................

A knot of ...............................

A flamboyance of ...........................

A mess of ..............................

A tower of ………………………

A creep of …………………………

Choose your answer from the following:

Toads / flamingos / jellyfish / giraffe / crows / zebras / bats / butterflies / cats / tortoise / starlings / rooks / iguanas / hippopotami

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Now draw your own rhino and write which type of rhino it is. Give your rhino a name and colour it in. Can you also draw a home for it (its habitat) and say which habitat you have chosen for it?

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A POEM FOR RHINOS

LEGACY

What a legacy we’re leaving, to our children not yet born

They’ll never see an elephant, or a rhino with its horn

All because of evil men who thrive on greed and lust

They preach that horn is medicine, don’t believe them, do not trust!

Don’t listen to their filthy lies, we know that it’s not true – don’t you see...

Horn is made of keratin, just like you and me

We have fingernails and hair, they are made of the same thing

But some of you do listen, and therein lies the sting

These evil men have got you, and they’ll take all of your money

You’d be better off knowing, you’ll get better results from honey!

Only then will their barbaric trade come swiftly to an end.

So see the sense in what I say, and save a rhino, my friend.

By Anne Moth 2017

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Please see Teacher’s Notes section for related activity ideas.

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WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT?

Write here 3 new things you have learnt from this booklet.

1.

2.

3.

Now you have read this booklet, and learned more about endangered animals, how do you feel about them now?

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GLOSSARY

The word meanings for you

African plains – large areas of grasslands

browser – an animal which feeds on high growing plants

continent – a large area of the world, made up of different countries

endangered – there are not many left in the world

extinct – there are none left!

forage – to look for food

grasslands – large areas with very few trees

graze – to feed on grass or low bushes

habitat – the area where an animal lives

herbivore – eats plants

insectivore – eats insects

mammal – a warm blooded animal

nocturnal – an animal which is awake at night

reptile – a cold blooded animal covered in scales

savannah – an area of mixed trees and grasses in Africa

species – a group of animals or living things

swamp – a watery area with trees and plants

tropical rainforest – a warm, rainy forest area with lots of evergreen trees and plants

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REFERENCES

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A MAP OF THE CONTINENTS OF THE WORLD

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A MAP OF ASIA

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A MAP OF AFRICA

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ACTIVITIES FOR YOU TO DO

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PANGOLIN INFORMATION

Notes: Can you find all the hidden words in this word search? Just try to get our little gift.

ANTEATER ANTS LONGTONGUE MAMMALS ROLLING SCALE STICKYTONGUE TERMITES TOOTHLESS

Word search

M H G M W F P Q G V V U F X T B Y P E E U G N O T Y K C I T S O L Q Z O O U L T H U U G N A K M O U W I U W R W G O E X Z Z A B Z T X C U D N D C J R N D R Z J D C H M U B S Q M V E F V B O X M O I L A N T E A T E R L N C R D T N I E X J F F H Y S O J A R M X L C G S T H Q I Q I L R X E C I Z D H W S N B E J N P A T V U D S J J C V B M K O V S G M Q C P O R C P Z Q U Y Z V X L T M G A S O M Y N S K C J O F U V J A C K O W Z V I U T G B T N H Q N M B S B A H Z W Z I M Y M X T J V L R I W T V O V G E E G K P F L R O L L I N G N J M R Z X R Z S C I T M X S H E I H A D X K

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Can you draw some trees, plants and birds around the elephants....?

Do you know which is the Asian elephant, and which is the African elephant? How?

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WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP RHINOS?

• Tell your friends and family what you have learnt.

• Be an active supporter of rhinos and other endangered species.

• Follow Helping Rhinos on our website, facebook page or Twitter.