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SAVING THE NORTHERN WHITE RHINO BY JENNIFER MARINO WALTERS Kenya takes strong measures to protect the world’s last living male northern white rhino Meet Sudan. He is a northern white rhinoceros, a rare subspecies of white rhino. But he’s not just any northern white rhino. He is the only male northern white rhino left in the world—and one of only five northern white rhinos alive today. That means Sudan, 42, is the subspecies’ last hope for avoiding extinction. To protect him, officials have placed him under 24-hour armed guard at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Sudan and two female white rhinos are kept under guard by rangers like this one. Their horns have been removed central Kenya. Sudan lives there with so poachers will not want to hunt them. two female northern white rhinos, Fatu and Najin. The other two northern white rhino females are in different zoos. One is at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California and the other lives at a zoo in the Czech Republic. No northern white rhinos are left in the wild. BATTLING POACHERS Northern white rhinos, which can weigh up to 5,000 pounds, were once plentiful across northern and central Africa. But their habitats were destroyed by years of civil war. Poachers have killed thousands of rhinos because of a high demand in Asia for the animals’ horns. Rhino horns, believed to have healing properties, are used in traditional Asian medicines. While the price of rhino horn was about $3,000 per kilogram in 2009, it now sells for up to $60,000 per kilogram Three of the five remaining northern white rhinos in some places. live at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya. ! More than 1,000 rhinos were killed last year in game reserves in South Africa alone. Fifty-four rhinos were killed in Kenya, which has a much smaller population. Sudan, Fatu, and Najin have had their horns removed so that poachers will not want to hunt them. All three rhinos have been fitted with radio transmitters, and undercover rangers often go into nearby communities to gather information on poaching. “With the rising demand for rhino horn . we face many poaching attempts,” says Simon Irungu, one of Sudan’s rangers. “While we manage to counter a large number of these, we often risk our lives in the line of duty.” A SLIM HOPE Last year, a male northern white rhino named Suni died at Ol Pejeta. Another male, Angalifu, died at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. That leaves very little hope of any more northern white rhinos being born. Officials at Ol Pejeta are hoping Sudan and one of the females will be able to have a baby. Sudan is very old, but scientists are not giving up hope. In the meantime, the conservancy has started a fund-raising campaign to help pay the salaries of the rangers who are protecting Sudan and the more than 100 other rhinos there, many of which are also endangered. So far it has raised nearly $95,000 of the roughly $113,000 it needs to pay the rangers for six more months. “Keeping rhino rangers well equipped, highly trained, and well motivated is key to the survival of all rhino subspecies,” the conservancy stated on its website. “The support we have received from all over the world has been incredible.” Question Set Directions: Read each question and follow the given directions. 1. Part A: Based on the text, select the main idea of the article. A. White rhinos will be extinct in the next 50 years. B. Poachers are a considerable problem to the rhinos since they are often killed for their horns. C. Protecting the remaining white rhinos is a priority in Kenya as the population dwindles. D. The remaining white rhinos are having their horns removed to lower their chances of being poached. 2. Part B: Explain why you chose the answer above? Use at least once piece of text evidence. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 3. What does the word ‘poachers’ mean as it is used in paragraph 4? A. illegal hunters B. park rangers C. animal activists D. zoo suppliers 4. Which of the following information can be known using the second picture and caption in the article? A. Removing a rhino’s horn makes it less desirable for poachers. B. White rhinos are being protected by armed guards due to their near-extinct status. C. The location of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. D. The white rhino, Sudan, is 42 years old. 5. Part 1: What is the relationship between paragraphs 5 and 6? A. description B. question and answer C. compare and contrast D. cause and effect 6. Part 2: Support your answer to the above question using text evidence. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 7. What detail from the text support why poachers target the white rhinos? A. “With the rising demand for rhino horn . we face many poaching attempts,” says Simon Irungu, one of Sudan’s rangers. B. Sudan, Fatu, and Najin have had their horns removed so that poachers will not want to hunt them. C. “Keeping rhino rangers well equipped, highly trained, and well motivated is key to the survival of all rhino subspecies,” the conservancy stated on its website. D. Rhino horns, believed to have healing properties, are used in traditional Asian medicines. 8. Explain how the Conservatory is protecting and planning to save the white rhino population? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Answer Key 1) C 2. Answers will vary 3. A 4. C 5. D 6. Answers will vary 7. D 8. Answers will vary .

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