Why is this helicopter
transporting a rhino upside down?
Is it OK?
Conservationists have adopted different methods
to save endangered rhinos.
Transporting them via helicopter is one of them.
There are only about 27,000 wild rhinos alive today,
according to the World Wildlife Fund.
That is nearly 2.5 times fewer rhinos than 50 years ago.
They were 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th century.
Of the five species alive in Africa and Asia,
black rhinos, Javan rhinos and Sumatran rhinos
are classified as critically endangered.
They're under threat of going extinct.
There are only 50 Javan rhinos
and less than 80 Sumatran rhinos left in the wild.
And in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya,
the only two northern white rhinos
are guarded 24 hours a day.
Do you know why they’re going extinct?
It’s because of human demand for their horns.
Those outgrowths are incredibly valuable.
They're used in traditional Chinese medicines
to treat fever, rheumatism and hallucinations,
among other things.
But there’s little scientific evidence that the horns work.
In countries like Vietnam and China,
rhino horns can be a status symbol of success and wealth.
Illegal traffickers sell the horns for $40,000 USD.
And the decreasing number of rhinos
has driven the price of horns up.
That’s why local poachers,
whose incomes are below the poverty line,
hack the horns off.
The animals slowly bleed to death.
And it’s tough to stop poachers
because they are often armed.
So conservationists
use methods to protect rhino populations,
like dehorning them.
It doesn’t sound logical, does it?
But don’t worry.
Unlike poaching, dehorning doesn’t hurt or kill the rhino.
First, veterinarians tranquilize the animal.
Then they remove the horn,
leaving about 5 cm (2 in)
to prevent damage and ensure it regrows.
Yes. Rhino horns grow just like human nails.
So dehorning rhinos has helped reduce poaching.
But rhinos use their horns to defend their territories,
unearth edible plants and find underground water.
Hmm. Dehorning might not be the best option for them.
Monitoring rhinos in guarded, fenced zones
could be a solution.
But veterinarians are concerned
that would prevent the rhinos
from moving through the land and meeting other rhinos.
That could reduce the genetic diversity of the species.
So translocation
is the best method to ensure
rhinos are still meeting each other
while being safely fenced in.
The rhinos are tranquilized,
blindfolded
and transported to other areas using helicopters.
Translocation by truck is impractical
because much of the land rhinos live on
is often too rugged.
But you want to know why they’re airlifted
upside down, right?
It’s because they are physiologically sensitive,
just like other big African mammals.
To reduce a rhino's stress and ensure it doesn't die,
it can't be in the wrong position while tranquilized.
Hanging rhinos upside-down
is a safe method for translocating them.
There is slightly less carbon dioxide in their arteries
in the hanging position
than if they're lying in a sideways position.
It’s crucial to save rhinos
because they are important for the ecosystem.
As they eat grasses,
they prevent any one species of grass
from dominating the landscape.
Thanks to rhinos,
multiple species of grasses have opportunities to grow,
so many animals can feed on them.
And that's what makes them Crazy Creatures.