It's World Rhino Day!

The five species of rhinoceros are all amazing animals. People have interfered with their growth out of a fabled fascination with their horns. Now we need human intervention to make sure no more species of rhino go extinct. This year, the theme of World Rhino Day gets at the root of the problem. Spread the word: rhino horn is not medicine.

I thought my pictures and videos from San Diego would be amusing for you on this auspicious day.

At the San Diego Zoo, two Indian rhino brothers share an enclosure. They like to snooze in the water:

And when they wake up, they like to splash and groom each other with brotherly nips and shoves:

The shoves escalate into a power struggle most days, the keeper informed us, but that day it was especially spectacular:

After too much roughhousing, the keeper separated them and tended to their wounds (note the bottle of spray disinfectant in her left hand):

I had never seen an Indian rhino in person before, so it was thrilling that these young men were so active.

If you're interested in learning more about the Indian rhino, The Soul of the Rhino is a great book. Check out these links to have a great World Rhino Day!

https://www.facebook.com/WorldRhinoDay2011

http://www.rhinoconservation.org/

http://www.savingrhinos.org/

http://www.fossilrim.org/index.php

Twitter: #worldrhinoday


My rhino publications: A Business Venture in Glue | Crash of Rhinoceros | "Rhinoceros Dreams" appeared in This Mutant Life, which appears to have expired -- more on that later, assuredly.