The Last Rhinos

I have recently been reading a book called ''The Last Rhinos''. Although I don't tend to read much, this one really appealed to me. Partly due to my upcoming internship at Chester Zoo where I will be closely working with rhinos and partly because I thought I should immerse myself more into topics of conservation. 

There are millions of reviews for it however, there is a website (http://thelastrhinos.com/) dedicated to the book. 

There are several different covers for the book:

The website mentioned above provides what I consider an accurate summary of the story faced by Lawrence Anthony. 

''When Lawrence Anthony learned that the northern white rhino, living in the war-ravaged Congo, was on the very brink of extinction, he knew he had to act. If the world lost the sub-species, it would be the largest land mammal since the woolly mammoth to go extinct. In The Last Rhinos, Anthony recounts his attempts to save these remarkable animals.

The demand for rhino horns in the Far East has turned poaching into a dangerous black market that threatens the lives of not just these rare beasts, but also the rangers who protect them. The northern white rhino’s last refuge was in an area controlled by the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army, one of the most vicious rebel groups in the world. In the face of unmoving government bureaucracy, Anthony made a perilous journey deep into the jungle to try to find and convince them to help save the rhino. 

An inspiring story of conservation in the face of brutal war and bureaucratic quagmires, The Last Rhinos will move animal lovers everywhere.''

These are a few of the quotes from his books which often sum him up as a person and his values and ideas on conservation. 

"I have never understood the saying 'To think outside the box.' Why would anyone sit inside of a box and then think outside of it. Rather just get out of the box."

"There is more to life than just yourself, your own family, and your own kind."

"I don't think I have a mission in life. I just want to hold together the values that are important to us as human beings. The name of the game is to survive, and we can't survive without the plant and animal kingdoms."

"Our inability to think beyond our own species, or to be able to co-habit with other life forms in what is patently a massive collaborative quest for survival, is surely a malady that pervades the human soul."

"The green movement has become tainted with extremism and intemperance resulting in lack of credibility. It needs new direction, new priorities and new leadership."

"Workable solutions for Earth are urgently needed. Saving seals and tigers, or fighting yet another oil pipeline through a wilderness area, while laudable, is merely shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic."

"Man's cultural and traditional links to nature that used to be passed down, generation to generation, have become lost in a sea of 'civilization', bureaucracy and technology."

"The prophets of doom are already saying it is too late, that the crude and uninformed impact of man on the planet's life systems is just too great and that we don't have enough time to turn it all around. I don't happen to agree, but I do know that we are entering the end game. That unless there is a swift and marked change in our attitudes and actions, mankind could well be on its way to becoming an endangered species." 

"This time around it may not be a natural phenomenon; it may be ignorance and neglect of the natural world will prove to be our undoing." 

"'Ethics' is the key theme. Ethics are essential to establish a granite moral code as an environmental lodestone." 

"Thankfully the Earth has an incredible capacity to sustain life, so perhaps something can still be done about it." 

I would personally highly recommend it and I really enjoyed the book. Although I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of rhino content the book clearly highlights the bureaucracy  which runs profoundly throughout Africa as well the many other challenges that African conservationists face. His very personal and very deep connection to the animals in his reserve in particular one elephant called Nana is even clearer than the messages he conveys throughout his book. Although the book does contain biographical elements it simultaneously depicts the challenges and the importance of rhino conservation through his personal journey. As a reader the book is very emotional, especially for animal lovers. Many a times I sat late at night/early morning crying either with joy, sadness or astonishment, sometimes a mix of all three.  

Lawrence Anthony

LAWRENCE ANTHONY is the author of three books:

•  Babylon's Ark
• The Elephant Whisperer
• The Last Rhinos

Although he initially started off in insurance following in the foot steps of his father he soon switched career into conservation when he began working with the Zulu tribes people. He initially bought Thula Thula game reserve which spreads over 5,000-acres in KwaZulu-Natal. He acquired nine elephants when he was asked to help rescue them when they escaped. He saved them from being shot, as they were causing damage throughout the area and were about to be put down. He is most renowned for his work with elephants as he often communicated with them using his voice and body language and was hence given the title of "Elephant-whisperer". 

He established a conservation group, The Earth Organization in 2003, and his efforts lead to the establishment of two new reserves, the Royal Zulu Biosphere in Zululand and the Mayibuye Game Reserve in Kwa Ximba, aimed at providing local tribe people income through wildlife tourism.

Throughout his book he often describes his unique process of 'clearing his head' where he drives off into the reserve in search of his favorite elephant, Nana. A few moments with her restores his faith and consolidates his commitment during challenging periods.  His passion was the bush and the animals he protected in Thula Thula. He cared deeply for each of them and when poaching encroached into Thula Thula he seemed more determined to save the rhinos. 

He has won several awards including:

• The Global Nature Fund, Living Lakes Best Conservation Practice Award, for “A remarkable contribution to nature conservation and environmental protection.”

• The Earth Day medal presented at the United Nations by the Earth Society for his rescue of the Baghdad Zoo.

• The Earth Trustee Award.

• The US Army 3rd Infantry, Regimental medal for bravery in Iraq during the Coalition invasion of Baghdad.

• The Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship for outstanding contribution to the ideals of Rotary.

• The IAS Freedom Medal.

• The Umhlatuzi Mayoral Award for Outstanding Community Service.

• Member of the governing council of the Southern Africa Association for the Advancement of Science

• International membership, the Explorers Club of New York.

• At a presentation in Washington, DC in March 2009, respected international journalist Tom Clynes named South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony amongst his six most impressive and influential people in a lifetime of reporting. Other names on the list include such luminaries as Sir Edmund Hillary

He is an incredible man! I have recently discovered he died on the 2nd of March 2012, aged 61, of a heart attack.  

New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/world/africa/lawrence-anthony-baghdad-zoo-savior-dies-at-61.html?_r=0

IOL News:

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/wildlife-guru-dies-wild-elephants-visit-site-1.1251681#.Ugric5I3Ato

Throughout his book he talks about wife Francoise Malby, who unconditionally supported him even when he went on the immense task of negotiating with the Lord's Resistance Army, a terrorist group renowned for their violence and child soldiers. His death is a great loss to the conservation world, he was clearly loved by both family, friends and animals. 

After his death, elephants came to mourn their loss confirming that the deep connection was not one sided. The facebook page says:

''Tonight at Thula Thula, the whole herd arrived at the main house, home to Lawrence and I. We had not seen them here for a very long time. Extraordinary proof of animal sensitivity and awareness that only a few human can perceive. And Lawrence was one of them. Thank you for your wonderful messages. Lawrence's legacy will be with us forever at Thula Thula.''

His work has been inspirational to current conservationists and aspiring conservationist just like me. 

Lawrence Anthony and his wife Francoise. 

His legacy continues through his wife Francoise Malby and his two sons Dylan and Jason. 

I hope that having read this blog you have also found Lawrence to be inspirational, if not at least interesting. Please pick up a copy of The Last Rhinos which can be bought from.... 

Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Last-Rhinos-Powerful-Species/dp/0283071702/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350917039&sr=8-1

Waterstones
:http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/lawrence+anthony/graham+spence/the+last+rhinos/8973136/

or any other book store. 

If you are travelling to South Africa I would recommend that you go and visit Thula Thula to have a look at what Lawrence Anthony's work has accomplished and those who lives he has so deeply touched. 

http://www.thulathula.com/en_location.aspx


Thanks for reading. 

Welcome to my blog! 

I have recently graduated from university and the summer months have been an up and down roller coaster. Before graduation I spent seven weeks travelling and working. I started with 5 days in Lisbon, Portugal where I made some new friends. When I found out that Lisbon had a zoo I was really excited to go and visit it, although I was hoping that the zoo wasn't dilapidated as seeing captive animals in unsuitable conditions really angers and upsets me. 

LISBON ZOO

My trip to Lisbon Zoo was amazing! We got the metro down town which was surprising easy and affordable. The metro stopped just outside the zoo at Jardim Zoologico which makes it really accessible. 

As we approached the zoo I noticed a nice touch just under the highway bridge which I have never seen at any other zoo and thought it was rather well done- although some may consider it graffiti?. I'm not too keen on the chimpanzee behind the bars though. 

The zoo itself is huge and I was impressed with their collection of animals. I have to say its one of the best zoos I have been to. 

Map of the Lisbon ZooThis is the website if any of you are interested in going to the zoo. http://www.zoo.pt/site/index_en.php

At the entrance of the Zoo are a few parrots who squawk at you as you walk through. This frightened the living day light out of me although I'm sure they were only trying out their hospitality skills and were welcoming me to the zoo. 

The first thing I discovered when I looked at the map was the monorail that hangs high in the sky and offers amazing views of the zoo and all their enclosures which you can ride till your hearts content as its free with the entrance fee! Note that it is not for the faint hearted as the picture below shows, its rather high off the ground.With the abundance of animals at Lisbon Zoo it is difficult to decide where to begin. Taking a ride on the monorail first thing gives you an idea of how large the zoo really is and lets you preview and prioritize the animals you really want to see. 

BEFORE you do this have a look at the times of the dolphin shows as these are not to be missed. These are also seal feeding times which you should try and attend. Information can be found with a member of staff at the entrance. 

The Lisbon Zoo Monorail

Here are some of the views taken from the monorail...

The lazy lion enclosure.

The Lisbon Zoo is home to a range of animals including mammals (even lazy kangaroos and adorable koalas), reptiles (an extensive collection of snakes-which give me the creeps), amphibians, arthropods and of course exotic birds. 

Below are a few snapshots of some of the animals at the Lisbon zoo. The tiger featured in the center shot had an amazing intensity in his stare. He stood frozen in the same position for about 2 minutes staring at me and then slowly walked away and went back to lounging. He (assuming its a he) was beautiful and this special moment despite its brevity was highly moving.

It's an unsettling thought that these tigers are critically endangered and their populations are diminishing rapidly. 

The dolphins are a special sight. The dolphin and seal  trainers have clearly worked hard training them even though some of them looked really young. The show itself happens 3 times a day and last about 45 minutes, all are in Portuguese but even if you don't understand the local language the show is quite a spectacle, with lots of tricks and flips. 

Panoramic view of the dolphin show area.

The second of the most precious moments is captured to the left. The tenderness she showed to her tiny baby was amazing to watch, despite the bars. She was so caring and nurturing, cradling her baby gently in her arms. It's great to see successful breeding in captivity. 

Lisbon zoo is not just an animal sanctuary but it also aims to educate its visitors with clever educational signs that allow it visitors to visualise their messages like this fun display of arm lengths. My partner and I decided to put them to the test and see how far we could reach! 

Lisbon zoo not only has a huge variety of animals to look at but the monuments are in keeping with the Lisbon city. I am unsure as to whether these are man made or whether they were originally part of the old Lisbon city (perhaps someone could tell me?). 

The best aspect of the Lisbon zoo and what sets it apart from other zoos that I have visited throughout the years is it's layout and its high regard for their visitor's visibility. For example, the bear enclosure has a glass platform that hangs over into the bear's enclosure. This makes the visitor feel like they are in the enclosure and are able to interact with the bears. Another example is the seal's enclosure. The glass panels along the entire enclosure allow you to watch the seals swim even when they are underwater and gives you an appreciation of their agility and speed. 

A third example is the chimpanzee's enclosure where the mischievous creatures climb, swing and play all day long whilst the older ones get some spare me time to chew on some leaves (top left). 

The chimpanzee enclosure is huge and to understand just how expansive it is, a viewing deck allows you to take it all in. 

On our way out we stopped at the photo booth to collect our picture that was taken by a member of staff just after the dolphin show. 

Here is a short summarizing video of some of the sights at Lisbon Zoo:

 *Please play this in youtube, as I can't seem to make it any bigger. 

The mission of the zoo is..

 " to develop and promote a park, zoo and botanical both as a center for conservation, breeding and reintroduction in the natural habitat of endangered species, through scientific research and environmental enrichment programs. "

Overall, my experience of the Lisbon zoo was truly rewarding, well worth the visit and the entrance fee. I can only imagine the satisfaction and the excitement gained from working as part of the zoo keeping team to achieve their mission!! I was so impressed that perhaps my future in zoo keeping could one day continue at Lisbon zoo. 

If you have been to Lisbon zoo, do share your experience. If you have any questions please ask, i will gladly reply as soon as I can. 

Thanks for reading!