You are now listening to the Green Blog of Phuc Khang Corporation – The pioneer Green Building Developer in Vietnam. In this broadcast, we would like to tell you a story named “A SMART RHINO”.

Hello, I am a little rhino who is living with my mom in the dense forest. When I was about to be born, my dad was killed because his horn was cut off.

My mom told me: “In that night, my dad went out for food. My mom had been waiting for him but he didn’t return. Then, her friends said that a group of strangers arrived in our beloved forest with sharp long and anesthetic arrows. By the time my dad barely noticed, they shot those arrows and my dad collapsed, his muscular body gradually went numb on the cold ground. They killed him to take his horn. Those greedy cruel people attempted to make on our lives to get what they considered “pricey elixir”.

From that time on, my mom always kept me by her side when eating, having mud bath and I trailed after her. That day, when my mom paid no attention to me, I rushed nonstop to a puddle, immersing myself in water enjoyably. Our rhinos specially like to soak ourselves in water or mud. We feel comfortable when being covered in natural mud. The mud of Mother Nature helps our skins strong to protect us from the heat of the sun and some skin diseases.

After mud bath, I scampered home, thinking how to plead with my mom. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise in the other side of the forest, panicking the birds. Hiding myself behind a big bush, I heard an elephant roar in pain and stopped. Having a hunch, I intended to run frantically. But on second thoughts, if I moved, I couldn’t make it to be scolded by my mom again. I hid myself behind the bush, observing in silence. They seemed to get what they wanted but didn’t leave yet. They continued their hunt for something else. Their approaching me unnerved me. Trembling with fear, I thought to myself whether they would pull a gun on me. How would I feel at that time? Would it hurt? In case something happened to me, who would inform my mom? Thousands of questions were posed in my mind. The more questions I had, the shorter the distance between them and me was. Distantly, a group in uniform suddenly appeared and scared those approaching me away. I had a close shave.

It got dark and I followed the path home. On my way, I asked about what had happened. A female deer panted: “A group of strangers entered the forest. They have been observing for days. Today, when the old elephant was sunbathing, they shot him down. Upon witnessing the big elephant collapse, other animals startled to stampede. That group surrounded the body of the elephant and quickly took away his tusks. Fortunately, a team of rangers appeared, otherwise, we would be goners.

I thought about my mom and I didn’t know how she was. May she stay fine. I kept running and luckily, I reached home. It was completely different from what I had predicted that my mom was not angry at all but her eyes filled with tears, she hugged me tightly, the warmth in her arms comforted me. I felt what I had just experienced was like a nightmare. No matter how my mom punished me, I was still fine. In any case, it was not so scary as the elephant being shot down or my dad being anaesthetized or not so frightening as my little horn being cut off.

In the calm night, I thought to myself: “If only rhinos were born without horns.” If so, we would be safe. My father wouldn’t have been killed. My mom and I wouldn’t be worried. But, after all, this extermination cannot be ended by Mother Nature’s removing our horns. It was because of somebody’s greed and cruelty. The elephant without any horn was shot down for tusks. The ferocious tiger with neither horn nor tusk was killed for his skin and bones. It was, in conclusion, human sheer greed to blame. Mother Nature gave birth to all species, being fair. Rhinos were born with horns attached to their lives. Humans were granted wisdom and intelligence. And then, humans use their intelligence to slaughter other species. Yet, not all humans are as bad as what my mom told me. Without the team of rangers, I would lie down on the freezing ground. If only everybody were that good. If only humans and animals shared the same language. We would tell them how angry and scared we felt towards them. But we also felt grateful to all those who saved our lives and were protecting us. How eager are we in expectation of living in peace with them?

Ladies and gentlemen,

You have just listened to the short story along with some exclamations of the little rhino when the green forest was invaded and wild animals were threatened. According to the World Wildlife Fund, rhinos are severely threatened and the number of rhinos is in steady decline all over the world. One of the main reasons which causes this scarce species on the verge of extinction is the hunts for their horns. In the world, there are many countries, many non-profit organizations and many individuals are struggling to protect rhinos and other wild species. A lot of realistic solutions have been made such as: completing legal framework; enhancing legal systems in countries; spearheading press campaigns against common misconceptions about using parts of animal bodies as medicine, rhino horns for example; activities supporting World Wildlife Day such as inspirational marathon, creative photo awards, restoration of ecosystems in wildlife conservations.

The story ends with the concern of not only the little rhino but also the Green Blog. This life will be better if each and every one of us make some major changes in our behaviors, especially towards wild animals. Peremptorily, what we can do now is to make our voice heard against consuming, collecting rhino horns as well as other wild animals for any illegitimate purposes. They are not “elixir” and either consuming or collecting them is considered serious crime. Meanwhile, we should share our knowledge about the essentials of conserving wild animals, maintaining a sustainable ecosystem and a peaceful life. The pioneer green building developer – Phuc Khang Corporation – is also a pioneer organization in an effort to protect the nature, the environment, human health and traditional cultures.

Ladies and gentlemen, do you often go to market to buy plants for your homes or gardens? Have you ever thought that green plants are trying to show off their excellence in order to be chosen as a decoration to green their homes? In the next broadcast, Green Blog will be more than please to tell you the race of many green plants. Please look forward to our next broadcast.

Goodbye and see you all again.