Dehorning Rhino on a Conservation Safari

Once the call is in that the dart has taken hold successfully, it is all hands on deck, as you navigate through the bushveld to where the Rhino is likely to go down, as soon as the Rhino goes down, his eyes are covered and ear plugs are inserted. Now, as an aside, big bull rhinos can easily weigh over 2 tonnes, with some of the largest bulls clocking in over 3 ½ tonnes. These are big animals, big wild animals, that don’t necessarily end up where you want them to be when they are immobilized. As was the case with our first rhino, this big cow chose her temporary resting place with her head firmly hidden in a thicket – no matter for these seasoned pro’s as they made quick work of removing the smaller trees that were impeding access to the horn. Once this was done, it was the work of the entire team, to move this magnificent creature into a more favorable position, and essentially protect her legs during the process. When a Rhino has been immobilized, it can land in an awkward position, which could lead to blood loss in a leg (remember the weight of a rhino and liken it to your foot going to sleep and getting pins and needles) every single person there was called into action as we rocked, shifted and moved her into a position that would allow the vets and seasoned pro’s the best access to her horn.

The entire process, from when your feet touch the ground, till the reversal drug is administered is fast, the less time the animal spends immobilized the better. Before you have even blinked, the Rhino is on oxygen, DNA and blood samples are taken, eye drops are administered and the horn is removed. These teams work in absolute synergy for the well-being of the animal, and time is critical. This is where the importance of the briefing comes into play, and should you ever have the privilege to be a part of any conservation experience, my advice to you is to listen, and ask questions. These stalwarts that dedicate their lives to the protection of all animals, are only too happy to share their wealth of knowledge and information with you.

Once the horn was removed, the necessary samples collected and the oxygen tube removed, we are barrelled onto the waiting vehicles again, as Doc Pete administered the reversal drug, and within a matter of seconds, the cow was reunited with her young, on her feet and ambling off into the bush – somewhat surprised by the vehicles around her, as if to say “Hey where did you all come from” but essentially no worse for wear, and potentially safer from a poachers rifle than she was 15 minutes prior. 

While those of us with our feet firmly on the ground were busy with serious Rhino things, Bruce our ever-diligent Cessna Pilot had been searching for the next rhino. Barely 10 minutes after the cow and calf had taken their leave of us, Gerry, Doc Pete, and Colin were in the air again, a previously dehorned rhino bull had been located, who had enough regrowth on his horn for him to be a suitable candidate for our next dehorning. The Vehicle convoy made our way to the general location of the bull and shortly after it was announced that he was successfully darted, and the ground team could come in. I mentioned earlier the skill with which Gerry pilots his chopper, however again I was left in absolute awe as Gerry had essentially herded this magnificent bull into the middle of one of the reserve roads, giving the entire team perfect access to the rhino, and his horn.

The bull also went down perfectly, so no back-breaking three-tonne readjustments were required. As before the whole team sprang into action and the entire process was over much faster than I had expected.

While I have been involved in numerous conservation initiatives over the past couple of years mainly with large carnivores, this was the first time I had ever been a part of a dehorning crew and there are a few things that stand out for me.  The first was that on the short drive back to the lodge, the vehicle was quiet, a stark contrast to the loud chatter at the start of the experience. We had all been a part of such a momentous project, that we were each quietly processing the morning in our own way. The entire experience was very sensory and tactile. From being so close to such a rare and endangered animal out in the wild to the sound of the Chainsaw as it is started up with the smell of gasoline lingering on the wind, and the sight of tiny pieces of rhino-horn flying into the air as the chainsaw makes contact for the first time until the moment that the horn breaks free.

I took a moment to myself during the entire experience to just stand back and observe the people around me, and the resounding takeaway was a connectedness to nature that we lose in our day-to-day lives. We run around being dictated to by man-made schedules that we quite literally forget to stop and take in our surroundings.



We need a primal experience like this at least once in our lives that we can revisit in our memory banks that reminds us that we are all part of a bigger picture and that there is a place in the world for good deeds, no matter how big or how small the contribution or effort, it all adds up. We dehorned two Rhino on a Friday morning in the Klaserie, many people will argue it's only two Rhino, but the experience for every person on the ground on that cold winter's morning changed them in some way. They have all gone home with photos, memories and a first hand account of their own experience, and they will continue to share and talk about it for as long as they live. The retelling of these individual stories is as important as the effort and hard work it took on the day, it ensures the longevity of a species and the hope that we will all continue to fight for all the threatened wildlife on our planet.