Chapter 11: The Rhino Gets An Ultrasound

    In chapter 11 Kolbert visits the Sumatran rhinoceros named Sucio. Unfortunately, Sucio is part of one out of five living rhino species. She lives in the Cincinnati Zoo and in an attempt to save her species Conservatist, Dr. Roth has been tasked to try to artificially inseminate Sucio in an attempt to save her species along with finding the last remaining rhinos. What was not planned was the many deaths that occurred when transporting the rhinos to different areas. Many died and caught diseases on their way If only the doctors remembered how many terrible things have happened when transporting animals into different environments. (Q) I wonder if those previous events ever crossed their mind. Although I never thought of it, when Kolbert asked why are so many of the extinct species on earth always the largest mammals, I also began to question the same thing. In order to answer this question, Kolbert visits Big Bone Lick. BBL is a fossil site where she was able to find that the large spices were on the path of extinction not only because of human hunting but also because it occurs slowly due to human colonization. The APES theme of humans have an impact for millions of years is shown when Kolbert states, " Before humans emerged on the scene, being large and slow to reproduce was a highly successful strategy... Then, in what amounts to a geologic instant, this strategy became a loser's game. And so it remains today, which is why elephants and bears and big cats are in so much trouble” (234-235). (C) After reading about a large amount of detrimental impacts humans are causing, I can't help but think about what my friend Salvador is always mentioning. According to him, humans need to go extinct. We've caused so many determinants so maybe the wrong species is going extinct. Although this sounds completely cynical, this is also coming from an angry perspective. It won't happen but I just hope we begin to solve this problem and be cautious of what we do.