3 Jomo and Shani

3 JOMO AND SHANI Jack froze. He didn't know what to say. Annie walked over to the two people. "Hi! We're Jack and Annie. We're visiting the game reserve. Do you work here?" "Yes," said the woman. She pointed to her name badge. It said RANGER SHANI. "I'm Shani. And this is Jomo. We're both reserve rangers." "Wow," said Annie. "I'd love to be a reserve ranger!" "Maybe someday you will be," said Shani.

"Back to my question: What are you two doing out here by yourselves?" Jomo asked sternly. "We—uh—" Jack stammered. "That," said Annie, pointing to the Safari Ride booklet in Jack's hand. "We were doing that. But they drove off without us." "It wasn't the driver's fault," Jack said quickly. "We—we were just too far away when the bus took off. We didn't make it back in time." "They didn't miss you?" said Shani. Annie shook her head. "Not even your parents?"

"Well, to be honest, they weren't with us," said Annie. "They… they're off doing some research. So we—at least I—wanted to go on a Safari Ride." "You know, your story really doesn't make much sense," said Jomo, squinting at them. "I know," agreed Annie, "but…" She shrugged. "Whatever happened, this is not a safe place to be wandering around alone," said Shani. "The bus will come back this way soon. We'll wait here with you until you get back on." Uh-oh, thought Jack. The rangers would soon find out they had never been on the Safari Ride. "Good. So what are you guys up to?" said Annie, changing the subject. "We're searching for Rosie," said Shani. "Oh," said Annie. "Is Rosie a kid or a grown- up?" "She's a black rhino," said Shani. Jack and Annie laughed. "A rhino named Rosie?" said Annie, grinning. "That's funny." "Yes. But it's not funny that no one's seen her for a week," said Shani. "She was about to give birth." "A baby rhino!" said Annie. "Aww. I'd love to meet one."

"I'm afraid you can't," said Jomo. "A mother rhino can be dangerous." "Why? Are they meat-eaters?" asked Jack. "No, rhinos are plant-eaters," Annie said. "They are," said Shani. "But they can be very protective. If a rhino thinks you might harm her baby, she'll probably charge at you." "She could ram you with her head and crush you," said Jomo. "Or stab you with her horn." "And rhinos can run faster than we do," Annie said matter-of-factly. "Up to thirty miles an hour." Jomo smiled. "You know a lot about rhinos, Annie," he said. "Annie knows a lot about lots of animals," Jack said. "I do," said Annie. "But now I'm worried about Rosie and her baby." "We are, too," said Shani. "Rosie's one of our favorites. She was brought to the reserve as an orphan years ago. We've watched her grow up. We're eager to welcome her calf into our lives." "Are you afraid another animal might hurt them?" asked Jack. "Like a lion?" "No. We're more concerned about poachers," said Shani.

"What kind of animal is a poacher?" asked Annie. "A human animal," Jomo said. "Poachers kill rhinos for money. They sell their horns for large amounts." "Oh, that's terrible!" Annie said. "It is," said Shani. "But our job is to save the rhinos. We just wish the rest of the world felt the same way." Suddenly a tiny creature with a long tail sprang from the back of the jeep. It bounced off the ground and landed in Jomo's arms. "Ahh! Speedy! You hitched a ride with us!" said Jomo. Speedy had a tiny head with bat-like ears and huge, round eyes. "A bush baby!" cried Annie. "Speedy's the mascot at our camp dining hall," said Shani. "During the day, he likes to hide in the back of our vehicles and nap." The bush baby made funny squeaky sounds. "Ohhh. He's so cute," cooed Annie. "Can I hold him?" "Better not. He might nip you," said Jomo.

"I'm not afraid. Please," said Annie. She held out her arms. "Okay. Speedy, be good," said Jomo. He gently placed Speedy in Annie's hands. Annie cradled the tiny bush baby. He was no bigger than a kitten. "Hey, little guy," Annie said. "Your fur's so soft and nice." Speedy swiveled his head around to look at her. He made a croaking sound. Annie laughed. "He says he agrees," she said to Jack. "Bush babies are tiny primates who live only in Africa. Did you know that?" Before Jack could say no, a crackling radio noise came from inside the jeep. "Code red! Code red!" a man's voice shouted.