Rhinos Airlifted To Safety In South Africa

In the continuous effort to save rhinoceros from poachers, conservationists in South Africa are now airlifting rhinos to safer areas....

The process requires the animals to be drugged first so they don’t react as activists tie their ankles together and hook it to a helicopter that flies them to a safer area away from poachers.

While it may seem pretty awful to be flown by your ankles between 500 and 1000 feet in the air, conservationists from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife assure that’s the best way..

Airlifting rhinos has been the adopted method for saving them since the World Wildlife Fund’s Black Rhino Range Expansion Project went into effect in 2003. Emma Gatland, a photographer for The National Geographic, was present at the latest rhino transport in Kwa Zulu Natal and also stood by the method.
 


“It’s a new procedure, which is gentle on the rhino as it shortens the time the animal is kept drugged. The rhinos are airlifted using an old Vietnam Huey [helicopter]. said Gatland

With poachers killing over 1,000 rhinos last year alone for their ivory horns, the endangered creatures don’t have much of a choice anymore for survival unless they’re moved away from their killers.

For more fantastical images of rhino relocations, please click on the following link:http://news360.com/article/240918463

Breaking the Brand of Rhino Horn in Viet Nam Project ( report by
Lynn Johnson PhD )

This project was created to address the spiralling demand for rhino horn from Viet Nam, which is the primary driver of the current killing spree in Africa and Asia.
The sole focus is on demand reduction by targeting the primary users of genuine rhino horn in Viet Nam.
This project is run by a team of volunteers based in Australia.
The report is just too long to post here, but please do yourself a favour and click through to this link to the report where you will see the fantastic ad campaigns targeting users of rhino horn.http://breakingthebrand.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Breaking-The-Brand-Project-The-First-12-Months.pdf

The following are identified as the two main users of rhino horn –

High Status Businessmen

• Senior Businessmen/Finance Professionals/ Government Officials.
• Group values rarity and expense rather than perceived medical properties.
• Acquiring rare produce associated with money, power and skill.
• Rhino horn gift used to demonstrate respect and competence when negotiating deals.
• Gifts used to influence and obtain preferential treatment from those in positions of power.

Only 2 motivators to stop using:
• Negative impact on personal status as a result of using/giving rhino horn.
• Negative impact on health from using rhino horn.

Affluent Mothers

• Believe in fever-reducing qualities of rhino horn - in line with use in Chinese /Vietnamese medicine.
• Keep small quantities at home in case child gets a high fever.
• Also buy for aging parents.
• Relatively recent trend.
• Unclear if using fake vs. genuine rhino horn.
• A group heavily influenced by social media.
• Small individual quantities but large group size.
• Interested and aspire to celebrity mothers.
• Again very status conscious and aspirational

Primary motivator to stop using:
• Negative impact on family health from using rhino horn.