Is it save to airlift a rhino?
Flying rhinos upsidedown looks ungainly but is it harmful, too? New research set out to find the answer.
IN SOUTHERN AFRICA, white and black rhinos are often translocated to avoid inbreeding or overpopulation of an area. Previously, rhinos were moved, fully awake, in crates or on pallets, but there were problems, including the possibility of injury to the huge herbivores. When lifted by helicopter, the crates also had a tendency to swing around dangerously.
Over the past 15 years, the preferred technique has been to dart rhinos with anaesthetic from the air, then blindfold the immobilised pachyderms and airlift them in a giant sling, suspended by their ankles. After a short flight, the animals are transferred to a truck. Now a new study in Namibia, published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, has for the first time examined the risks involved.
The researchers compared the breathing and circulation of sedated rhinos lying on their side and hanging upside-down. They were surprised to find that the latter position improved the animals’ ventilation, so was marginally better. More research is needed, because the study only considered brief periods of sedation. But, for now, it seems that, while every anaesthetic carries a certain amount of risk, flying upside-down is the best translocation method available – at least for quick flights of 10–15 minutes.
Ben Hoare