The Golden Rhinoceros

From the birth of Islam in the seventh century to the voyages of European exploration in the fifteenth, Africa was at the center of a vibrant exchange of goods and ideas. It was an African golden age in which places like Ghana, Nubia, and Zimbabwe became the crossroads of civilizations, and where African royals, thinkers, and artists played celebrated roles in the globalized world of the Middle Ages. Drawing on fragmented written sources as well as his many years of experience as an archaeologist, the author reconstructs an African past that is too often denied its place in history. He looks at ruined cities found in the mangrove, exquisite pieces of art, rare artifacts like the golden rhinoceros of Mapungubwe, ancient maps, and accounts left by geographers and travelers

Rupert, a young rhino, charges everything because he has bad eyes and can't see things clearly. Everyone is afraid of him until a doctor fits himwith glasses.

Winner of the Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding 2019 Shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize and the Pius Adesanmi Memorial Award 'Astonishing, staggering' Ben Okri, Daily Telegraph A groundbreaking new history that will transform our view of West Africa By the time of the 'Scramble for Africa' in the late nineteenth century, Africa had already been globally connected for many centuries. Its gold had fuelled the economies of Europe and Islamic world since around 1000, and its sophisticated kingdoms had traded with Europeans along the coasts from Senegal down to Angola since the fifteenth century. Until at least 1650, this was a trade of equals, using a variety of currencies - most importantly shells: the cowrie shells imported from the Maldives, and the nzimbu shells imported from Brazil. Toby Green's groundbreaking new book transforms our view of West and West-Central Africa. It reconstructs the world of kingdoms whose existence (like those of Europe) revolved around warfare, taxation, trade, diplomacy, complex religious beliefs, royal display and extravagance, and the production of art. Over time, the relationship between Africa and Europe revolved ever more around the trade in slaves, damaging Africa's relative political and economic power as the terms of monetary exchange shifted drastically in Europe's favour. In spite of these growing capital imbalances, longstanding contacts ensured remarkable connections between the Age of Revolution in Europe and America and the birth of a revolutionary nineteenth century in Africa. A Fistful of Shells draws not just on written histories, but on archival research in nine countries, on art, praise-singers, oral history, archaeology, letters, and the author's personal experience to create a new perspective on the history of one of the world's most important regions.

A rhinoceros does only two things: pop balloons and poke holes in kites. But rhinoceroses can really do more--so much more--than that!

Relates how the rhinoceros's lack of manners resulted in his baggy skin and bad temper.

A new Little Golden Book starring Disney Junior's The Lion Guard! This Little Golden Book retells an episode of the hit Disney Junior series The Lion Guard in which Ono the egret fills in as a rhino's tickbird. Children ages 2 to 5 will love learning that rhinos have poor eyesight and rely on tickbirds to warn them about any dangers. And, in return, the tickbirds get to eat all the bugs that flutter around the rhino. As always, Kion, Fuli, Beshte, Bunga, and Ono help keep things running smoothly in the Pride Lands! The Lion Guard animated series continues the tradition of epic storytelling from The Lion King films. Every episode of The Lion Guard features a winning combination of compelling stories, relatable characters, humor, and heart.

In parts of Korea and China, moon bears, black but for the crescent-shaped patch of white on their chests, are captured in the wild and brought to "bear farms" where they are imprisoned in squeeze cages, and a steel catheter is inserted into their gall bladders. The dripping bile is collected as a cure for ailments ranging from an upset stomach to skin burns. The bear may live as long as fifteen years in this state. Rhinos are being illegally poached for their horns, as are tigers for their bones, thought to improve virility. Booming economies and growing wealth in parts of Asia are increasing demand for these precious medicinals. Already endangered species are being sacrificed for temporary treatments for nausea and erectile dysfunction. Richard Ellis, one of the world's foremost experts in wildlife extinction, brings his alarm to the pages of Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn, in the hope that through an exposure of this drug trade, something can be done to save the animals most direly threatened. Trade in animal parts for traditional Chinese medicine is a leading cause of species endangerment in Asia, and poaching is increasing at an alarming rate. Most of traditional Chinese medicine relies on herbs and other plants, and is not a cause for concern. Ellis illuminates those aspects of traditional medicine, but as wildlife habitats are shrinking for the hunted large species, the situation is becoming ever more critical. One hundred years ago, there were probably 100,000 tigers in India, South China, Sumatra, Bali, Java, and the Russian Far East. The South Chinese, Caspian, Balinese, and Javan species are extinct. There are now fewer than 5,000 tigers in all of India, and the numbers are dropping fast. There are five species of rhinoceros--three in Asia and two in Africa--and all have been hunted to near extinction so their horns can be ground into powder, not for aphrodisiacs, as commonly thought, but for ailments ranging from arthritis to depression. In 1930, there were 80,000 black rhinos in Africa. Now there are fewer than 2,500. Tigers, bears, and rhinos are not the only animals pursued for the sake of alleviating human ills--the list includes musk deer, sharks, saiga antelope, seahorses, porcupines, monkeys, beavers, and sea lions--but the dwindling numbers of those rare species call us to attention. Ellis tells us what has been done successfully, and contemplates what can and must be done to save these animals or, sadly, our children will witness the extinction of tigers, rhinos, and moon bears in their lifetime.

Best friends are together through thick and thin—and forever in memory For Hopper the oxpecker bird, life is just perfect. He lives on top of his best friend, Reggie the rhino, where there are lots of yummy flies to eat. Reggie keeps Hopper safe when lions are lurking, and dry in the rainy season. Hopper wouldn’t change a thing! But Reggie isn’t young anymore, so he wants to prepare Hopper for life without him. He helps Hopper remember all their good times together—their lazy days and exciting escapes, their teasing nicknames and corny jokes. The only problem is Hopper’s habit of exaggerating! Hopper keeps watch by starlight as Reggie lies down for the last time. And at daybreak, he takes flight to find his own way in the world. When Hopper meets a new crew of oxpeckers, he can hardly wait to tell them all about his rhinoceros. Remember when Reggie chased off three—no, three hundred—sneaky lions?