Rhino grounded on tarmac
It was meant to be up, up and away for Samburu, but he’s grounded at Hamilton Zoo for now.
The seven-year-old rhinoceros has a new home waiting at Christchurch’s Orana Wildlife Park, and made it as far as Auckland Airport.
Then came the problem, early on Wednesday. The 1800kg rhino’s crate couldn’t fit into a freight plane to head south as part of the Australasian breeding programme.
Until then the trip was going reasonably well, though Samburu was “bouncing around” in his crate, which zoo director Dr Baird Fleming said is understandable due to rhinos not having the greatest eyesight. They rely on smell and hearing
“He's such a big boy, he was going, whoa what's going on here? So we sedated him a little bit and just kind of calmed him down.”
At Auckland, airport staff spent half an hour trying to get Samburu into the Qantas freight plane, under the watch of a load master from Sydney, Fleming said.
“My understanding is that they kept trying to reposition him [in the crate] to be able to fit him into the plane, but they just couldn't position him properly,” Fleming said.
The zoo had supplied the crate’s dimensions and weight.
“They were unable to pivot around the main deck and into the aircraft.”
So the zoo found another truck to bring Samburu back to Hamilton, and the zoo keeper who had flown to Christchurch returned.
Samburu’s now back with the other southern white rhinos, while the logistics are worked out.
“Is this something that we want to do as we move into the colder months? Do we wait until we start to warm up a little bit again?”
Fleming's preference is to fly Samburu, given winding, bumpy roads would be hard on him.
Samburu was born at Hamilton Zoo on June 28, 2016, his mother Kito and father Kruger still live at the Rotokauri address.
A bit of bolshy attitude with his dad meant it was time for the young rhino to have his own herd.
There have been previous false starts, with planned homes in Australia disrupted by Covid-19.
Zoo staff, led by ungulates team leader Eddie Cheadle, have spent the past few months preparing Samburu and getting him used to being in the crate.
Cheadle said they never force Samburu but he’s rewarded with lucerne hay (like chocolate for rhinos) . “It's all 100% willing. So we ask for something, if they give it to us, they get something yummy. If they don't do it, we just let it go, there's no negatives.”
They make sure he’s completely comfortable, even banging on the side of the crate to prepare him for noises he could face during the move.
A vet accompanied Samburu on the drive to Auckland.
There is strict criteria about not alerting people to what time Samburu is on the move to ensure his safety, due to the value of rhino horns. The title for first or second most expensive product by weight in the world fluctuates between rhino horn and cocaine, Cheadle said.
The cost of transport will be picked up by Orana Wildlife Park.