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African Parks embarks on critical conservation undertaking for 2,000 rhinos

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KLERKSDORP, South Africa — As I scraped the early morning winter frost from my tent, I could not help but wonder if this was a suitable place for white rhinos. And yet, here, a short drive from Johannesburg, resides the world’s largest private herd of white rhinos. The 2,000-strong herd of Ceratotherium simum on a farm on South Africa’s highveld represents 12% of the remaining wild population. One hour later, I was staggering backward across a tussocked grass paddock, hauling on a thick rope attached to a blindfolded 2.2-ton rhino. Muscles screaming and short of breath, I kept a keen eye on this beast as he tottered unsteadily a few meters away. Thirty minutes earlier, our team of eight had watched from the back of a bakkie (pickup truck) as a vet darted the rhino with an immobilizing drug cocktail from a hovering helicopter. Then, a horseback rider herded the rhino to a clear area while the tranquilizer took effect. The rhino’s indignant trot turned to a slow, determined walk with comical goosesteps before he stumbled onto his side. Then it was “Go, go, go!” as we sped to the scene and clambered out. I watched as the experienced team sprang into action, administered a partial antidote, tested vitals, lubricated his eyes, and wrapped a blindfold over that massive head. Clipboards were rapidly filled up with data specific to our rhino. Within minutes, the horns (one large and one small) were removed with a chainsaw and signed for by an…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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