Worried that rhinos and elephants will live on only in picture books

year of
the rhino
Worried that rhinos and elephants will live on only in picture books?
Do your kids’ best friends have horns, hooves, fur or four legs?
The newly-formed Beast Relief committee is taking concrete steps
to help animals far and near, while teaching PS 107 children about
the importance of conservation and the value of civic action on
behalf of our beast buddies.
Our efforts start this year with the lovable near-sighted pachyderm,
the rhino, now critically endangered by poaching.
To kick off Year of the Rhino, we are designing a poster of PS 107’s
new mascot, which will hang in the school hallway. We will also be
organizing more rhino-themed art projects, a school assembly,
a possible zoo field trip, a spare-change drive, and a civic action
including a petition, so that rhinos can keep their horns and live in peace.
We also hope to support a local animal rescue center.
All are welcome so please get involved.
STATUS
Endangered
rhinoceros
DESCRIPTION
There are five species of rhinos – two African and three Asian. The African species are the white and black rhinos.
Both species have two horns. Asian rhinos include the Indian and the Javan, each with one horn, and the Sumatran,
which has two.
SIZE
The white rhino is the second largest land mammal next to the elephant. The five species range in weight from
750 pounds to 8,000 pounds and stand anywhere from four and a half to six feet tall.
POPULATION
Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis): 2,400
White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum): 7,500
Sumatran Rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis): 400
Javan Rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus): fewer than 100
Indian Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis): more than 2,000
LIFESPAN
Biologists estimate that wild rhinos live up to 35 years. In captivity, a rhino may live 40 years.
RANGE
Rhinos are found in parts of Africa and Asia.
HABITAT
Rhino habitat ranges from savannas to dense forests in tropical and subtropical regions.
FOOD
Rhinos are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants. White rhinos, with their square-shaped lips, are ideally suited
to graze on grass. Other rhinos prefer to eat the foliage of trees or bushes.
BEHAVIOR
As solitary creatures, both male and female rhinos establish territories. Males mark and defend their territories.
Rhinos use their horns not only in battles for territory or females but also to defend themselves from lions, tigers
and hyenas.
OFFSPRING
Males and females frequently fight during courtship, sometimes leading to serious wounds inflicted by their horns.
After mating, the pair go their separate ways. A calf is born 14 to 18 months later. Although they nurse for a year,
calves are able to begin eating vegetation one week after birth.
THREATS
Rhinos rank among the most endangered species on Earth. Valued for their horns, they face a serious threat from
poaching. Some cultures believe that the powdered rhino horn will cure everything from fever to food poisoning.
PROTECTION
*CITES, Appendix I, Endangered Species Act