A song that inspires me? There are millions of songs that inspire me, inspire people, inspire the world. The song that stuck out to me when I read the prompt, was Yellow by Coldplay. When I hear this song, I get mixed emotions. I'm sad, I'm nostalgic, I think of the times where I felt like I was the happiest in the world. When I hear this song, I hear life. My entire playlist follows the many different emotions of life. The ups and downs. The rock bottoms and the peaks.

We've all heard about the Rhinos in Africa getting poached. You see it on National Geographic, you see it on Animal Planet, whatever. After the show ends, you turn off the TV and go grab yourself a bowl of cereal, abruptly thinking about the homework assignment you have due at 8:00 and you forget all about Rhinos and Africa and Poaching. What people don't recognize is that this is becoming a very grave problem, and fast. The demand for Rhino horn has intensified in recent years. Many organizations have been set up in Africa to protect this fascinating species, but sadly, they can't save them all. Even recently as a result of Coronavirus and the decrease in tourism, the killing of Rhinos has spiked which is pushing more people to try and protect these Rhinos even during a pandemic. But that isn't the only danger, Poachers themselves have weaponry which makes it very deadly for the people defending the Rhinos. Although the Rhino horn is sold illegally throughout, there is a high demand for it in Asian countries due to it being practiced in traditional Chinese medicine. For centuries, rhino horn has been thought to cure fever and pains, while also being believed as a painkiller and a detoxifying factor. At the Chinese University of Hong Kong, research had been conducted in 1990 to find out if Rhino horns held medicinal properties, they were unable to confirm that it did. As Dr. Arne Schiotz of WWF said, " You would get the same effect from chewing your own fingernails." Let's move on to the very real and sad fact of Habitat loss. Habitat loss has affected thousands of different species around the globe, but for Rhinos who are already being slaughtered for their horns, habitat loss is far more harmful. Rhino's "home range" needs about 5 square miles of land and with the increase in population, logging, and farmers, Rhinos are forced to move to areas that they might not be able to thrive in. Rhinos need to eat up to 40- 80 pounds of vegetation a day, which means that the area they inhabit must contain loads of vegetation. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been doing much to protect rhinos, especially with habitat loss. They have created safe areas for Rhinos that are heavily patrolled so that Rhinos can exist in peace, they also encourage learning about this predicament to fund the creation of more safe spaces. Well, not everybody is swayed by adorable baby Rhino pictures, many don't think it effects them at all. Why should they care about what is happening to Rhinos? If you had a middle school or highschool science class, then you have probably learned about ecosystems and food webs. Everything, no matter how small, has an impact on the environment and the world we live in. Rhinos are called "Umbrella Species" which means that these are very important, they indirectly affect the lives of other species in that habitat. Without them, the whole ecosystem could gett messed up, and it will be big. It could be such a big mess that it could even find it's way into your home. People sometimes tend to forget that they are animals and are part of the worlds food web as well. Any animal that goes extinct, like the Rhino, can create huge, negative changes to the world around us. You might be thinking, what can I do? You've read about this problem and now you might want to help. Well, this is what you can do. Both WWF and the International Rhino Foundation both allow you to adopt a Rhino, this will help fund conservation efforts for rhinos and save them. There is also a company called Air Shepard that create drones to track poachers and hopefully stop them before they get to a rhino or any other endangered species. You can donate to organizations like these that are trying to help these creatures and even a dollar could help. You could also show your support on social media, by doing this, you better educate yourself and others on the issue. There are many Rhino conservation groups on facebook, Instagram, and more. By telling others about this issue you are spreading awareness of what is happening and might even get more people to contribute. Rhinos create a huge impact on our environment, they're adorable, they indirectly help other species, and they make up the world we live in. There is no logical and true reason why Rhino horns are needed, they aren't medicinal, and they certainly shouldn't be used as a centerpiece. The fact of the matter is, Rhino poaching effects everyone and can create longlasting problems for the world; so instead of turning off the TV, grabbing a bowl of cereal, and thinking about that homework assignment, let's work together to protect this beautiful and unique species.