The Flight Of The Rhinos

We weren't quite sure what was happening in this picture of a blindfolded rhino being hoisted in the air, but we assumed it wasn't good. Turns out, we were wrong. The rhino is the picture is being airlifted to a safe, undisclosed location to keep it out of the path of poachers.

According to the story: "For some endangered rhinos, a 1,000-mile journey to rescue from them poachers starts with a helicopter ride — hanging upside down, blindfolded and sedated. That might sound uncomfortable, but experts say it's easier on the massive mammals than by other means. This new procedure is gentler on the darted rhino because it shortens the time it has to be kept asleep with drugs."

It's an unusual method of transportation, for sure, but we're happy conservationists have found a way to keep these endangered rhinos safe!

Flying Rhinos

Even in their native South Africa, one thing you certainly don’t ever expect to see is a flying rhinoceros.

These pictures show a sedated black rhinoceros being transported via helicopter as part of the WWF Black Rhino Range Expansion Project. Black rhinos are frequent victims of poaching, and the WWF has been working with South African landowners to provide new habitat for them.

Previously, rhinos had to be loaded onto trucks or transported in airlift nets to be extricated from areas with rough terrain. Veterinarians working on the project agree that suspending rhinos by the ankles is the quickest and least stressful transport method for the animals. These helicopter trips usually last less than ten minutes and do not hurt the rhinos. To date, the WWF has relocated over 120 black rhinos.

Story and photos via.

Javan Rhinos Close to Extinction

The Javan rhinoceros is the world’s most endangered mammal. Only 60 of them still exist, and with a birth rate of about one a year, they aren’t expanding very fast. Almost all of them live in the same Indonesian national park, so researchers have set up 34 cameras to try and watch their behavior. The researchers hope to figure out a way to keep the species alive before it’s too late. Watch the video below for a closer look at this rare mammal.

Rhinocerceros: Not Just African Animals

When I think of rhinos I remember the old John Wayne movie Hitari that I saw as a kid. I can still see those images of the rhinos. Maybe that’s why I often think of rhinos only as African animals, but in reality there are two species are from Africa and also three species in Asia.

The African rhinoceros are the Black Rhinoceros and the White Rhinoceros (this name has nothing to do with color – see the animal facts page for an explanation). African rhinos don’t have teeth at the front of their mouths.

The Asian rhinoceros are the Javan, Sumatran and Indian. Only the white rhino is not endangered

Animal Facts: The Kneeless Rhino

As the title of this post states, rhinoceroses have no knees. They are also an odd-toed ungulate, which means they have hooves that have an odd number of toes.

Rhinos are know for their large size, weighing up to a ton. But for being as big as they are, they have a relatively small brain. Rhinos are also characterized by their horns (depending on the species they have one or two horns). Unfortunately, their horns, which can be sold for medicinal purposes or as hunting trophies on the black market, make them a prime target for poaches. Three of the five species of rhinos are now endangered.