Intl Rhino Foundation

Tougher Law to Save Rhinos- Prison Term to be 10yrs, Fine to Double

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:30:00 GMT

Guwahati, May 12: Stung by the sharp rise in cases of rhino killing, Dispur is contemplating making changes in the anti-poaching law by increasing the prison term from three to 10 years and doubling the fine to Rs 50,000. Announcing this today, chief minister Tarun Gogoi declared that his government would amend Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act to make punishment under the act more stringent. The government had decided to amend the act to curb poaching and illegal trade in wildlife and its derivatives, Gogoi said this morning after a plantation programme in Dispur. I have asked the forest department to submit a proposal on the amendments required to be made so that it can be passed in the Assembly as early as possible. Poachers are almost having a free run at Kaziranga National Park and Rajiv Gandhi National Park in Orang, the two rhino habitats in Assam, killing 10 rhinos so far this year by hoodwinking security arrangements. Dispur has already written to the Centre...

14-May-08 8:30 AM

Assam Proposes Tough Laws to Combat Rhino Poaching

Tue, 13 May 2008 22:00:00 GMT

By Syed Zarir Hussain Guwahati, May 13 (IANS) The Assam government has proposed tough laws including a 10-year prison term to tackle the menace of rhino poaching, officials said Tuesday. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has proposed an increase in the prison term for poachers from three to 10 years and doubling the quantum of fine on poachers to Rs.50,000, a senior Assam wildlife department official told IANS, requesting anonymity. On Monday, Chief Minister Gogoi met with state Forest and Environment Minister Rockybul Hussain and senior wildlife officials to take stock of the situation arising out of the recent killing of rhinos for their horns in Kaziranga and Orang National Parks. The move will require an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act and the state’s plan can be put into operation only after appropriate amendments. In case the amendment comes through, a poacher will be tried by a court not below that of a sessions judge. There has been an uproar in Assam over the continued...

13-May-08 5:00 PM

Assam to Introduce Forest Regulations to Stop Poaching of Endangered Rhinos

Tue, 13 May 2008 18:00:00 GMT

May 13: The Government of Assam has decided to introduce some stringent provisions in forest regulations to contain sharp rise in poaching of endangered rhinos and other wildlife crimes in the National Parks of the State.

Announcing this in Guwahati, the State Chief Minister Mr. Tarun Gogoi said his Government would amend Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act to increase the prison term of law violators from three to ten years and doubling the fine to fifty thousand rupees. He said forest department has been instructed to submit a proposal to the Government in this regard for passing the amendments in the State Legislative Assembly as early as possible.

AIR Guwahati Correspondent reports that as many as 28 rhinos were brutally killed for their precious horns by poachers in their habitats in Kaziranga and Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Parks within one year's time. Ten of them were killed during last two months.
The State Government has also written to the Centre recently seeking a CBI investigation into incidents of one-horned rhino poaching.

As per latest census report, the State has registered rhino population to the tune of over two thousand indicating a rise by three per cent.

13-May-08 1:00 PM

Assam Proposes Laws to Combat Rhino Poaching

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:00:00 GMT

GUWAHATI: The Assam government has proposed tough laws including a 10-year prison term to tackle the menace of rhino poaching, officials said on Tuesday. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has proposed an increase in the prison term for poachers from three to 10 years and doubling the quantum of fine on poachers to Rs 50,000, a senior Assam wildlife department official said, requesting anonymity. On Monday, Chief Minister Gogoi met with state Forest and Environment Minister Rockybul Hussain and senior wildlife officials to take stock of the situation arising out of the recent killing of rhinos for their horns in Kaziranga and Orang National Parks. The move will require an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act and the states plan can be put into operation only after appropriate amendments. In case the amendment comes through, a poacher will be tried by a court not below that of a sessions judge. There has been uproar in Assam over the continued poaching of rare one-horned rhinos with...

13-May-08 8:00 AM

White Rhino Born at Busch Gardens

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:00:00 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- As baby boys go, this is no lightweight. Busch Gardens is celebrating the birth of a rare white rhino that weighs in at a whopping 100 pounds (estimated).

The rhino was born Thursday night to mother Mlelani and father Tombo in the rhino night quarters next to their 26-acre habitat.

The baby has yet to be named.

This is the third rhino born at the park since 2004 to the rhino couple, and it's the first male.

Mlelani and Tombo's first calf, Malaika, marked the first white rhino birth in the adventure park's 46-year history. Their second calf, Dakari, was born in August 2006.

Busch Gardens says the births are part of its attempt to help the endangered species through captive breeding and genetic diversification.

According to the International Rhino Foundation, just over 14,530 white rhinos remain in the wild. About 170 live in zoological facilities across North America.

This week's birth brings the total white and black rhino population at Busch Gardens to 12.

12-May-08 8:00 AM

India Tightens Security to Fight Rhino Poachers

Wed, 07 May 2008 16:00:00 GMT

By Biswajyoti Das KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK, India (Reuters) - Authorities in Indias remote northeast said they were increasing security in the worlds biggest reserve for the endangered great one-horned rhinoceros to save them from poachers. Poachers have killed at least 10 rhinos in two national parks in Assam state since January, eight of them at the Kaziranga National Park. We are increasing the number of guards in Kaziranga because of a recent increase in poaching, and a probe has also been ordered, Rockybul Hussain, Assams forest minister told Reuters on Wednesday. Last year, two dozen animals lost their horns to poachers in Assam, for their medicinal value in the international black market. Horns fetch up to $10,000 (400,000 rupees) and demand is soaring in China and Southeast Asian countries, wildlife experts say. After failing to check poachers for years, officials at Kaziranga have asked the national polices Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate. But...

7-May-08 11:00 AM

WWF Push for Paramilitary

Tue, 06 May 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Guwahati, May 6: The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has called for deployment of paramilitary forces to rein in rhino poachers who have killed as many as 10 of the highly-endangered species in Assam this year.

Pressing the alarm bell in a stinging report released this week, WWF India said enforcement efforts were no longer “sufficiently deterrent” and profits from illegal trade had become very high.

“It is clear that the poachers are becoming bolder and shooting animals in the vicinity of park camps and villages. This suggests that enforcement efforts are no longer sufficiently deterrent and that the profits from this illegal trade are high enough to risk such an approach,” the WWF said.

Stating that the infrastructure of the forest department must be augmented and additional forest guards recruited on a priority basis, the report said, “Till such time, the ground force should be augmented by additional deployment of special armed police and paramilitary forces in the affected areas”.

The agency expressed concern over the almost “non-existent” intelligence network, blaming it on the inter-state and international nature of the trade.

“It is critical that steps should be taken to strengthen the intelligence network to pre-empt any poaching attempt. For this, the government of Assam should directly seek support of agencies like military intelligence for specific inputs on these events,” the report added.

Urging the Assam government to make conservation of rhinos a national issue, the WWF requested all enforcement agencies to “work in collaboration on the ground to collectively meet this crisis”.

It also urged the Centre to immediately convene an inter-state meeting between the state enforcement agencies of Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and West Bengal and NGOs to collectively devise a response to the inter-state trafficking of rhino horns.

The agency also expressed concern over the protection of the recently translocated rhinos in Manas National Park.

The poachers have killed 10 rhinos at the Kaziranga National Park and Orang National Park this year. Of these, five were killed in the last two weeks.

Dispur has announced a CBI probe into the killings. The rhino population in the state has shrunk to 2,000.

6-May-08 10:00 AM

Rhinos Falling Prey to Greed

Sun, 04 May 2008 16:00:00 GMT

NEW DELHI: Assam has always been popular with wildlife tourists but now it’s attracting a different kind of visitor. One motivated by greed instead of a love for animals. As the value of rhinoceros horn spirals in the clandestine international market, so has the price on the rhino’s head. This year alone, poachers have killed as many as six one-horned rhinos. In one poaching case in January, a female rhino bled for 35 hours after her horn was sawn off and she was shot twice in Kaziranga. It is incidents like these that have alarmed conservationists who fear a repeat of last year when 16 rhinos fell prey to poachers. The situation is worrying in both India and Nepal. There is a lot of money in this trade and poachers are paying hefty sums to people who can lead them to the rhinos, says Samir Sinha, head of Traffic, India, which monitors illegal wildlife trade. Forest officials suspect that gangs with trans-national links are operating. Between 1998 and 2006, several poachers were...

4-May-08 11:00 AM

CBI to Probe Rising Rhino Poaching Cases in Assam

Sat, 03 May 2008 16:00:00 GMT

NEW DELHI/GUWAHATI: Even as the World Wide Fund for Nature-India expressed concern over recent incidents of rhino poaching in Assam and Nepal, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday announced the State’s decision to entrust cases relating to such recent instances at the Kaziranga National Park and elsewhere in the State to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Five rhinos were killed by poachers in Assam and one was killed in Nepal over the past week. Three of the five cases were at the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, and two at the KNP. In Kaziranga, as per official records, 16 rhinos were lost in 2007 to poachers and another four this year till February 2008, according to WWF-India. In Nepal, five were lost since January. The recent incidents suggest that poachers are taking advantage of the gaps in enforcement at the field level, becoming bolder and shooting animals in the vicinity of park camps and villages. WWF concludes from the pattern that enforcement efforts are no...

3-May-08 11:00 AM

Rhino Celebrates First Birthday at Cincinnati Zoo

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Tuesday was a special day for a very special Cincinnati Zoo baby.

Harry, an endangered Sumatran rhino, celebrated his first birthday Tuesday morning at the zoo's Wildlife Canyon.

Harry is one of four Sumatran rhinos at the zoo. The Cincinnati Zoo is home to the only four Sumatran rhinos in the United States. There are only nine of these endangered rhinos in captivity worldwide.

Harry even had a birthday cake, though not in the traditional sense.

Instead, the young rhino's birthday treat was a bread bowl from Panera that was filled with fruit and potatoes.

Harry has come a long way in the last year. He has grown from an 86 pound baby to more than 860 pounds.

30-Apr-08 11:00 AM

First-ever rhino translocation in northeast India a success

noemail@rhinos-irf.org — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Washington: In one of the biggest conservation successes in India, two male adult Indian rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis) were successfully translocated to Manas National Park on Saturday. This is the first time that the translocation of wild rhinos has been conducted in the state of Assam, where nearly all of India’s rhinos are found. The two rhinos were moved from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, which has the highest density of rhinos in the world - more than 80 rhinos in less than 7 square miles of rhino habitat. For the next several years, the healthy rhino populations in Pobitora and Kaziranga National Park will supply individuals to start new populations in other protected areas in Assam under Indian Rhino Vision 2020. Translocations form the backbone of Indian Rhino Vision 2020 – a joint project of the Government of Assam, WWF-India, the International Rhino Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – that aims to attain a population of 3000 wild rhinos spread across...

International Rhino Foundation Offers Rhino Adoptions for Valentine's Day

noemail@rhinos-irf.org — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:00:00 GMT

NEWS International Rhino Foundation Offers Rhino Adoptions for Valentine’s Day Spread the love this Valentine’s Day by giving your sweetheart one of the rarest animals on earth! YULEE, FL – Flowers wilt, and that box of chocolates just could go straight to your hips! So the International Rhino Foundation is offering gift givers the opportunity to do something different for their nearest and dearest this Valentine’s Day – adopting a Critically Endangered Sumatran rhino. The Sumatran rhino, also called the hairy rhino because of its hairy body and tufted ears, is the most endangered of all rhinoceros species because of its rapid rate of decline. Because of poaching, numbers have decreased more than 50% over the last 15 years. Fewer than 275 Sumatran rhinos survive in very small and highly fragmented populations in Southeast Asia, making it one of the rarest large mammals in the world. The International Rhino Foundation helps to support the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, a...

INTERNATIONAL RHINO FOUNDATION LAUNCHES A NEW

noemail@rhinos-irf.org — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 01:00:00 GMT

NEWS International Rhino Foundation launches a new and improved web site Visit the newly redesigned website for the IRF and your ultimate source for information on rhinos and rhino conservation. YULEE, FL – The International Rhino Foundation has a new website – one that you’ll want to visit again and again! Launching on Thursday, November 29, 2007 – visitors will find an updated look for their source of all things rhino on the net. Featuring video and photo galleries and a web 2.0 guide, site visitors will find a myriad of ways to stay connected to IRF’s rhino conservation efforts. The homepage features the newly redesigned IRF logo and new organization branding. One other feature of note is the scrolling rhino news articles module – giving readers the latest headlines on rhinos from around the world. Readers can learn everything they ever wanted to know about rhinos, including their status in the wild, and how IRF programs programs in Asia and Africa help the rhino...

BUY ENDANGERED FECES TO SAVE AN ENDANGERED SPECIES

noemail@rhinos-irf.org — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

NEWS Buy Endangered Feces to Save an Endangered Species International Rhino Foundation auctions rhino dung for holidays to raise money for conservation efforts YULEE, FL – We swear we’re not making this up. For the first time in history you may find rhino poop under your Christmas tree. This year the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) is auctioning off endangered feces – poop from endangered rhino species. It’s all part of an effort to save one of Earth’s most recognizable, but most threatened wild animals. That’s right, actual rhino poop will be an auction item on the popular Web site eBay. The rhino poop auction will begin Thursday, November 29, 2007 and can be accessed by searching for rhino poop at www.eBay.com or by visiting www.endangeredfeces.org. Everyone knows about rhinos, but not everyone knows that they are disappearing from the Earth, says International Rhino Foundation Executive Director Dr. Susie Ellis. It might sound silly, but the money raised by...

IRF Staff & Advisors

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:57:06 GMT

STAFF Susie Ellis, PhD Executive Director Margaret Moore Development Officer Robin Radcliffe, DVM Rhino Conservation Medicine Program SPECIAL ADVISORS Dr. Dedi Candra Collection Manager Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary Sumadi Hasmaran Facilities Manager Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary M. Waladi Isnan Program Manager Indonesian RPU Program Drs. Arief Rubianto Field Supervisor Indonesian RPU Program Secionov IRF Indonesia Liaison PRO-BONO STAFF AND ADVISORS Much of the administrative and creative support for IRF is donated pro-bono (i.e., without cost) by the generous institutions and organizations represented on the IRF Board. This allows administrative costs to be kept to minimum and for other donations to directly fund IRF field conservation programs. Michelle Burke White Oak Conservation Center (IT Advisor) Jean Cha Bass Enterprises (Finance Assistant) Justin Conway ...

Green Tips: Everyday Actions You Can Take to Reduce Climate Change

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:43:20 GMT

See the light. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. These energy-efficient bulbs help fight climate change because they reduce the amount of fossil fuels that utilities burn. You will save 100 pounds of carbon for each incandescent bulb that you replace with a compact fluorescent, over the life of the bulb. And remember to turn off the lights every time you leave a room! Recycle and use recycled products. Products made from recycled paper, glass, metal and plastic reduce carbon emissions because they use less energy to manufacture than products made from completely new materials. For instance, you’ll save two pounds of carbon for every 20 glass bottles that you recycle. Recycling paper also saves trees and lets them continue to reduce climate change naturally as they remain in the forest, where they remove carbon from the atmosphere. Travel light. Walk or bike instead of driving a car. Cars and trucks run on fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In the...

Mothers Day Gift Ideas

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:16:52 GMT

Looking for a unique Mother’s or Father’s Day gift? This year, give your mom or dad a gift they’ll never forget – “adopt” a Sumatran rhino in their honor, and you’ll be giving a gift that will last for years to come.

The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, a 250-acre complex located within Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia, is currently home to five rhinos that are part of an intensively managed research and breeding program aimed at increasing the Sumatran rhino population in the wild.

With a donation of only $30, you can feed and care for a rhino for 2 days; a $60 donation will pay for 4 days. Your donation also ensures veterinary care and upkeep of your rhino’s habitat, and might even help to result in the birth of a new rhino baby!

In honor of your adoption, your mom or dad will receive an adoption certificate and a photo and bio of his or her rhino, as well as regular updates on the rhino and IRF’s work to protect and conserve rhinos worldwide.

So give the gift of conservation, and help to protect the critically endangered Sumatran rhino from extinction by adopting a rhino at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary. Learn more about the rhinos available for adoption and adopt a rhino for Mother’s or Father’s Day today!

(Please submit your Mother’s Day adoption request by May 6 and Father’s Day adoption request by June 10 to ensure that they’ll receive the adoption package in time.)

Go Green This Spring! Support Rhino Conservation

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:04:55 GMT

Wildlife conservation begins with each of us - and you too can make a difference. Make a resolution to go green this spring! Raise Money for Rhino Conservation IRF depends on donations from individuals like you to fund rhino conservation programs around the world. You can support our efforts to save rhinos from extinction by making a donation today. Or, celebrate Earth Day or a spring birthday by adopting a rhino for a friend or loved one! You can also help to raise money and awareness by hosting a fundraising event for IRF within your school or community. Get started on your spring cleaning by hosting a garage sale and donating the proceeds towards rhino conservation! Visit this page to get more great fundraising ideas and learn about how people just like you - including kids - have raised money for rhino conservation. Shop (or Sell) for a Cause Looking for an easy way to help save rhinos? Go shopping! Before you begin shopping for your new spring wardrobe online this...

Projects in the Field

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 01:22:44 GMT

Rhino Translocation in Assam, India - A First Hand Account by Sujoy Banerjee
Director, Species Conservation, WWF-India

It was a long wait for this day. Over the past 1.5 years, Manas National Park, the eventual home of the translocated rhinos, went through a major reconstruction process and the security was scaled up through construction of protection camps and posting of extra staff and volunteers. The habitat was monitored and found suitable for the rhinos. Read more on the IRF Blog.

View the translocation
photo album.

Graduation Gift Ideas

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:26:21 GMT

Looking for a unique gift for a high school or college graduate?
Give your grad the gift of conservation and help to save one of the most endangered animals in the world - adopt a rhino!

The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, a 250-acre complex located within Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia, is currently home to five rhinos that are part of an intensively managed research and breeding program aimed at increasing the Sumatran rhino population in the wild.

With a donation of only $30, you can feed and care for a rhino for 2 days; a $60 donation will pay for 4 days. Your donation also ensures veterinary care and upkeep of your rhino’s habitat, and might even help to result in the birth of a new rhino baby!

In honor of your adoption, your grad will receive an adoption certificate and a photo and bio of his or her rhino, as well as regular updates on the rhino and IRF’s work to protect and conserve rhinos worldwide.

So honor your graduate this May and help to protect the critically endangered Sumatran rhino from extinction by adopting a rhino at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary. Learn more about the rhinos available for adoption and adopt a rhino for a friend or loved one today!

Levels of Support

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:55:50 GMT

By joining IRF today, you will be welcomed into a family of dedicated individuals committed to saving rhinos throughout their range states. Not only will you have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re helping to ensure the long-term survival of all five living rhino species, you’ll also have the opportunity to learn more about rhino conservation and interact with scientists working to save rhinos in the wild. Make a gift to the International Rhino Foundation, and you will join one of the following giving circles: Levels of Support Friend ($1 to $99) All donors to the International Rhino Foundation will be recognized on IRF’s website and other publications, and will receive a subscription to our regular e-newsletter and our annual report. Advocate ($100 to $499) In addition to the benefits of a standard membership, Advocates will receive a DVD showcasing the efforts and successes of...

Support the IRF

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:55:31 GMT

Rhinos desperately need your help! Contribute today and become a partner in IRF’s efforts to protect endangered rhinos in the wild. Use our secure server to make an online donation today using your credit or debit card. Or if you prefer, you can mail a check to IRF at: International Rhino Foundation 581705 White Oak Road Yulee, Florida 32097-2145 A gift of $50 will enable Indonesia’s Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary to provide five days of food, medicine and care for one Sumatran rhino. A gift of $100 will fund one rhino protection unit -- five rangers -- in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park while they patrol the park and prevent poaching of Javan rhinos and other animals for four days. A gift of $500 will pay for two satellite radios for Tanzanian rangers to use to immediately report indications of black rhino poachers, so that they can be apprehended and prosecuted. A...

What You Can Do

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:19:34 GMT

IRF works around the world to protect endangered rhinos and conserve their habitats. But wildlife conservation begins with each of us - and you too can make a difference. Learn more about ways you can help to save rhinos! Raise Money for Rhino Conservation. IRF depends on donations from individuals like you to fund rhino conservation programs around the world. You can support our efforts to save rhinos from extinction by making an online contribution today. You can also help to raise money and awareness by hosting a fundraising event for IRF within your school or community. Host a bake sale or rummage sale and donate the proceeds towards rhino conservation! Instead of birthday gifts, ask friends and relatives to adopt a rhino on your behalf, or donate money to IRF! Visit this page to get more great fundraising ideas and learn about how people just like you - including kids - have raised money for rhino conservation. Use GoodSearch.com to help Rhinos! What if the International...

2007 Supporters

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:53:48 GMT

We are honored to acknowledge the individuals, foundations, zoos, businesses and others who are helping to save endangered rhinos around the world by donating to IRF’s work. Defenders ($25,000 +) American Association of ZooKeepers/ Bowling for Rhinos Anna Mertz Asian Rhino Project Basel Zoo Lee & Ramona Bass Foundation Cincinnati Zoo Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund Disney Worldwide Service EAZA Rhino Campaign Ecko LLC Peter Hall / Hunter Hall International Limited Houston Zoo Minnesota Zoo Foundation National Fish and Wildlife Foundation – Save the Tiger Fund SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund Tapeats Fund U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service White Oak Conservation Center, Inc. ...

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noemail@rhinos-irf.org — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 14:51:57 GMT

Objectives:

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Release Date: 31-Aug-07 9:51 AM
Expiration Date: 30-Nov-07 9:51 AM

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Veterinarians on elephant back preparing to tranquilize the rhinos

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:12:37 GMT

The operation started off at 5:30 in the morning and a group of veterinarians went off on elephant back for tranquilizing the rhinos.

Tranquilized Rhino

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:12:37 GMT

In the next half hour that ensued, the first rhino, a male, was tranquilized. After fifteen minutes of tracking, the rhino grew sluggish and his hind legs started sinking.

Tranquilized Rhino

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:12:37 GMT

The rhino’s eyes were covered with a cloth and buckets of water were poured over him to keep his body temperature down.

Vet Team takes biological samples

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:12:37 GMT

The vet team busied themselves taking measurements and samples; blood, nose smears, temperature, pulse, length, height etc., the radio-collaring team busied itself in putting the radio-collar in place. The darts were taken out and the wound sprayed with antiseptics. The rhino was also administered antibiotics and sedatives for the journey ahead.

Placing rhino on stretcher sledge

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:12:37 GMT

Everyone lent a hand in flipping over the rhino, weighing around fifteen hundred kilos, on to the stretcher sledge.

Pulling the sledge carrying the rhino to the truck

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:12:37 GMT

The sledge was then pulled by the excavator and dragged about five hundred meters to the site where the wooden crate was parked.

Placing the rhino in the crate

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:12:37 GMT

The crate, which is a wooden cage, has two sliding doors on both sides, which can be lifted vertically to open the cage. The cage was closed from one side and the door towards the head of the rhino was lowered halfway.

Rhino safetly loaded in to the crate for transport

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:12:37 GMT

A vet entered the crate and administered a drug to bring the rhino back from unconsciousness. Within 10 seconds, the rhino was stirring and stood up on his feet, albeit a trifle groggy and dazed. But no sooner had he gained foothold, he began heavily pounding the walls of the crate with the horn.

Lifting the crate into the truck

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:12:37 GMT

The crane was moved in to lift the crate and put it into the back of the truck.

Placing the crate in the truck

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:12:37 GMT

As it was lifted, the arm of the excavator kept the crate upright and the crate was loaded onto the truck.

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2007-08-31T14:51:57Z

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