When Gertjie Met Lammie
You are going to read a text about a friendship between a rhino and a sheep. How do you think this happened? Discuss it in class.
Read the text quickly and check your guesses.
Listen and read.
When Gertjie Met Lammie
How a Rhinoceros and a Sheep Became Best Friends
By the Scene team
Pretoria, South Africa – A rhinoceros named Gertjie has made an unusual friend – a sheep called Lammie. The unlikely[explanation: unlikely [ʌnˈlaɪkli] – ebatõenäoline] couple both live at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC), and are so close that they follow each other everywhere!
Staff at HESC brought Gertjie to the wildlife park when he was only three months old. Gertjie was orphaned[explanation: was orphaned [wəz ˈɔːf(ə)nd] – jäi orvuks] and alone after the death of his mother. Unable to care for himself, Gertjie received constant care at HESC. But he was still missing one thing – a friend.
HESC aims to help injured[explanation: injured [ˈɪndʒəd] – vigastatud] and orphaned animals get healthy so that they can return to the wild. An important part of this process is to minimise human contact with the animals. An animal that becomes too used to[explanation: used to [ˈjuːst tu] – harjunud (kellega, millega)] humans is less likely to return to the wild successfully. So, instead of people, ‘companion animals’ are often used to spend time with the sick and orphaned animals.
Enter Lammie
HESC staff introduced Gertjie to several other animals before Lammie, but they did not become friends. However, Lammie was different. Just three weeks old, when she came to HESC, Lammie still appeared nervous around people. When she first saw Gertjie, she ran and hid behind him. Gertjie did not appear to mind, and the two of them have been together ever since.
Gertjie and Lammie have now become famous around the world after HESC posted a video of the two of them online. The video shows Gertjie and Lammie together on a dusty road[explanation: on a dusty road [ɒn ə ˌdʌsti ˈrəʊd] – tolmusel teel]. Lammie runs ahead of Gertjie, who then tries to imitate the sheep’s bouncy[explanation: bouncy [ˈbaʊnsi] – kepslevaid] steps. The video has become extremely popular, and the two animals are now loved throughout the world.
With Lammie’s help, Gertjie – or ‘Little G’ as HESC staff now call him – has grown from a baby into a healthy young rhinoceros. To protect him from poachers[explanation: from poachers [frəm ˈpəʊtʃəz] – salaküttide eest], HESC made the decision to remove his horns. The operation was a success, and Gertjie can now look forward to a much safer life ahead when he eventually returns to the wild.
As for[explanation: as for [əz fɔː(r)] – mis puutub] Lammie, she was so successful as a ‘mother’ to Gertjie that she has now adopted a second rhinoceros, named Matimba. The three animals have become inseparable[explanation: inseparable [ɪnˈseprəb(ə)l] – lahutamatuks], and today they all live together at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre in South Africa.
For more information on the progress of Gertjie, Lammie and Matimba, visit HESC’s website.
- HESC staff try to make Gertjie become friends with other animals.
- The rhinoceros is welcomed to HESC.
- Gertjie’s mother passes away.
- Lammie meets Gertjie.
- Gertjie and Lammie make a new friend.
- A video of Gertjie and Lammie is uploaded online.
- The world learns of the rhino and sheep’ friendship.
Exercise 2
Choose the correct answer.
- unusual
- unlikely
- receive
- sick
- unable
- ordinary
- probable
- give
- healthy
- capable
Follow-Up
- When and why do HESC staff keep their distance from Gertjie and Lammie?
- How do rhinos benefit from a mud bath? Give at least two examples.
- According to the speaker, what does Gertjie, Lammie and Matimba’s friendship prove?
Go Online
Find out about another unusual animal friendship and introduce it to the class. Mention where and how the two animals became friends.
- Service provided by Star Cloud LLC