Douwlina***

There are two kinds of stories in the world: those that have sad endings and those that have happy endings. Douwlina's story began with great sadness when she lost her mother to poachers, but it has a happy ending. From the time Douwlina was rescued, loving people-and even animals-have stepped forward to care for her.In Africa, where Douwlina lives, there were once over 100,000 of these smart, magnificent animals. Now, there are less than 20,000 on the entire continent, and one is poached every day in the Kruger Park alone. Rhino are killed illegally for their horn, because people believe it has power in traditional medicine and rituals. The cost for an ounce of horn can be as high as five times the price of gold. Until people everywhere understand the plight of the rhino, each rhino is in danger. Douwlina's journey to safety takes her to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre in South Africa, where in addition to the dedicated staff, a lamb cares for her. When she is old enough to live on her own in the wild, she moves to the farm of Annales and Johan. But Douwlina has spent so much time with loving humans that she acts more like an enormous house pet than a wild animal. This tender story shows how each animal and human who has been part of her life has helped her-first to survive, then to thrive and at last to live among her own kind as she was born to do. It highlights the bonds between people and animals and reminds us of the importance of being good stewards of the animals who share the planet with us.