In chapter 11 Kolbert visits the Sumatran rhinoceros named Suci, one of only five rhino species left on the planet. rhinos were once very common throughout the world, but after the 20th century, rhinos began to go extinct. a conservation group decided to send a small number of Sumatran rhinos to American zoos in hopes of perpetuating the species in captivity. However, five of these rhinos died almost immediately, thanks to a disease spread by flies which is due to the exportation of them to other environments. Kolbert questions why so many large animals are going extinct, which is why she travels to a famous fossil site, Big Bone Lick. It was believed by Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin that the ice age had killed off such large animals but other scientists argued it was the introduction of humans were responsible for the extinction of large animals. This relates to the them Humans have had an impact on the environment for millions of years because according to Jared Diamond and his observations (pg. 231) he brings up the point that “Australian giants had survived innumerable droughts in their tens of millions of years… and then have chosen to drop dead almost simultaneously precisely and coincidentally when the first humans arrived.” This indicates that the arrival of humans makes it look sketchy that these animals would be wiped off the face of the earth after adapting to tough climates.
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