Bongo
While at the bongo exhibit you can share the following information with those with you. The student worksheets have blanks for them to fill in. The answers are the BOLD words in the following statements:
1. There are two recognized species of the bongo, the EASTERN and the WESTERN bongo. They look similar, but if they stood next to each other you could tell that the EASTERN males are actually about 100 POUNDS heavier and have BRIGHTER fur.
2. The EASTERN bongo is critically endangered. There are supposedly less than 200 that still live in the wild.
3. Both MALE and FEMALE bongos have long spirally HORNS that they never SHED. They use them to navigate the thick forests they live in.
4. Bongos like to wallow in MUD! This helps to PROTECT them from INSECTS. They also use the MUD against trees to help polish their horns.
5. When a baby EASTERN bongo is born, the mother will HIDE them in the undergrowth to protect them from PREDATORS. She then visits them on a regular basis to FEED and CARE for them.
6. Native people believe that if the EAT or TOUCH the bongo that they will have something like EPILEPTIC SEIZURES. Because of this superstition, bongos have been left alone in the native ranges.
7. Bongo herds are made up primarily of FEMALES, JUVENILES and ONE ALPHA male.
BONUS - BIBLICAL APPLICATION:
WE CAN NOW ADDRESS THE QUESTION AS TO WHY WE DON'T SEE SOME ANIMALS TODAY, LIKE DINOSAURS, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE ON THE ARK, WHICH MEANS THEY CAME OFF OF THE ARK.
AN EASY EXPLANATION IS THAT PRE-FLOOD WORLD AND POST-FLOOD WORLD HAVE TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT CLIMATES. AT THE ZOO YOU'LL SEE ALL KIND OF ANIMALS, LIKE THE BONGO, THAT ARE IN TROUBLE. TAKE THE WHITE RHINO, THERE ARE ONLY TWO OF THEM LEFT. THE EASTERN BONGO, THERE'S SUPPOSEDLY LESS THAN 50 STILL IN THE WILD. EXTINCTION IS WHAT IS TAKING PLACE IN OUR WORLD. DINOSAURS NEEDED A DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT TO SURVIVE AND MAN DIDN'T START THE PROGRAMS TO SAVE THEM IN TIME. THEY SIMPLY DIED OFF OVER TIME AND WE DIDN'T START ZOO'S OR EXTINCTION PROGRAMS IN TIME TO SAVE THEM.