Hanging rhinos upside down is 'vital' for their conservation

[muriel_volestrangler]

The black rhino is critically endangered, predominantly due to significant demand for rhino horn. Conservationists have been finding ways to better protect them for a number of years and often find themselves having to think outside the box.

Sometimes the rhinos need to be moved from inaccessible, wilderness areas by helicopter, to bring them to safety. But as transporting the enormous creatures can be a tricky manoeuvre, the rhinos need to be tranquillised. This allows them to be airlifted by their feet, which saves time and is thought to be kinder to the animals, according to WWF.

While this transportation method has been used for ten years now, there has been debate over whether the anaesthetic drugs can be dangerous when the rhinos are hung upside down, as opposed to lying down on their side.

A new study has now concluded that rhinos “actually fare[d] slightly better when slung up in the sky,” in a positive step towards conserving the species. The research was published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, led by Cornell University in New York, US.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/02/02/hanging-rhinos-upside-down-is-vital-for-their-conservation