Protecting Indian Rhinos

On this week’s news update…

Indian Rhinos

Protecting Indian rhinos…

Ozone Layer

The ozone layer begins to recover…

Drops of Life

And life inside drops of seawater!

First up…

Indian rhinos

Indian rhinos can be recognized by their single dark horn.

The rhinos were once widespread across India, but over the past 100 years their numbers have dropped dramatically.

Many have been killed by hunters—an illegal activity known as poaching.

The hunters sell the rhinos’ horns to be used as jewelry and decorations.

To help protect the rhinos from poaching, a huge national park was created in northern India.

Park rangers were employed to track down poachers and stop them from shooting the rhinos, but many continued to be poached.

In recent years, better-trained rangers have been able to reduce the number of rhinos killed.

And in 2022, for the first time in over 40 years, no rhinos were illegally killed in the park.

Park rangers hope their work to protect these gentle giants will be just as successful in 2023!

Next up…

ECO ZONE

It’s Eco Zone!

ozone layer

The ozone layer is a thin layer of gas in the Earth’s atmosphere.

It helps to protect the Earth from rays of ultraviolet light that are produced by the Sun.

By reflecting ultraviolet rays back into space, the ozone layer stops much of this light from reaching the Earth’s surface.

Ultraviolet light causes damage to our skin, so the protection provided by the ozone layer is important.

But in 1985, scientists discovered that a hole had appeared in the ozone layer above Antarctica.

The hole was caused by chemicals which were commonly found in air-conditioning systems and spray cans at the time.

As less harmful chemicals have replaced these more damaging chemicals over time, the ozone layer has started to regenerate.

Now, almost 40 years after the hole was discovered, scientists predict the ozone layer could completely recover by 2066!

And finally…

The world’s oceans are home to a fantastic variety of life!

But did you know that even tiny individual drops of seawater can contain a wealth of life?

A scientist has recently taken some close-up photos of seawater—and they reveal a hidden world.

One image shows a sea cucumber larva floating alone in a drop of water.

Another shows a sea worm fighting off a tiny baby shrimp!

A Sapphirina lights up one drop of water, while another is filled with mating copepods!

If you ever go swimming in the sea, just imagine the number of tiny life-forms all around you!

That’s all for this week—we’ll see you next time!