RHINO'S SKIN IS SOFTER THAN I THOUGHT

N=NIHAO

M=MA WEIDU

N: What did you expect to see before this trip?

M: I came to South Africa mainly for animals.Apart from many small and lovely animals, we also saw some large animals, including elephants and rhinos, two of the largest terrestrial animals. I did not have a chance like this to observe them so closely. When I inserted a chip into the rhino's horn, I also touched its skin. To my surprise, it is much softer than I imagined it would be. I used to think rhinos' skin should be like armour.

N: The first nightfall when you were by the pond, you saw a herd of elephants pass by.What were you thinking at that moment?

M: The sun was going down when they passed us by. The sky turned red and warm, while the elephants' refl ections wavered gently on the pond. It was like a scene in a wonderland. For a second, I thought I was living in a fi lm. I keep this impressive scene on my mobile phone.

N: Why do Chinese people buy rhino horns?

M: There are two reasons behind it. The fi rst one is art collection. Since the end of the Ming Dynasty,which was about 500 years ago, it was fashionable for literati to drink out of a rhino horn cup. This deeprooted tradition lasted for at least 500 years. The second driving-force for consuming rhino horns is their medical value. Ancient Chinese medicine theory believed that rhino horns have sedative and detoxicating effects, and is able to bring down a fever. That is why rhino horns are also a rare and famous Chinese medicine ingredient. As a result,it is likely that the market demand for rhino horns has been strong.

N: How can we change this mindset?

M: In ancient times, people used to have totally different views of animals from today. We need to refresh our mindset, and stop looking for rare materials in animals, such as rhino horns and ivories. A lot of wild animals attract fatal dangers because of the famous rare materials they carry.

People nowadays are aware of that. Some laws and regulations have also prohibited all trade activities of rhino horns. Meanwhile,pharmaceutical criteria have annulled the use of rhino horns. However, it takes time to raise national awareness of animal protection. During this process, more people should join in to spread the knowledge that species protection is much more important than collection.