Chapter 11 Abudul Gaku

In chapter 11, Kolbert is visiting the Cincinnati Zoo to meet a rhinoceros named Suci. Suci is a Sumatran rhinoceros, only one of five in the world. Sumatran rhinos lives in the Himalayas, Sumatra, and Borneo. They were very common then but are now are on the brink of extinction. A group of conservationists gather a small group of rhinos in hopes to save them in American zoos. Surprisingly many rhinos died immediately due to diseases caused by flies. In order to get them to reproduce, the rhinos were inseminated. A rhino named Emi was inseminated who gave birth to Succi and Harapan. The extinction of these rhinos is due to human activity. This was another piece of evidence that backs the claim that humans are causing the sixth extinction - our actions are severely affecting wildlife. Kolbert travels to a fossil site called Big Bone Lick. Charles Lyell stated that the fossils found in that site were of animals who became extinct due to climate change. Another theory is that human beings hunted these animals into extinction. The animals did not suffer from climate because of their resilience, but us humans made them die over time. This is also anther example of the theme that humans altering natural systems