Rhinos are probably the animals that hate flying the most, because they are not qualified to fly at all.
Limbs tied by ropes, eyes and masks covered, hanging upside down from the helicopter, swaying in the wind during the trip, and if you are unlucky, you will bump into a few birds that do not have long eyes - this is the daily life of rhinos flying.
Karl Franz, a journalist who saw such a pomp for the first time in South Africa, said he initially thought it was a dead cow hanging, so he felt a certain degree of discomfort and confusion, and he began to drive after the mysterious helicopter, only to find the rhino pulling nearly two tons of on his head.
In fact, in Africa, airlifting rhinos is a very necessary option – if you don't want to see these horned beasts go extinct.
Poachers are getting more rampant and better equipped, and they now even have eighty percent of the new AK47s. Even though there are now about 4,000 conservationists, they are still powerless to stop poaching.
Therefore, constantly moving rhinos to sparsely populated wilderness has become the best solution to protect rhinos.
It's like playing hide-and-seek with poachers, where the life of a rhino is at stake.
In 1960, more than 100,000 black rhinos competed with orangutans and crocodiles on the African savannah, fought with lions and hyenas, or secretly urinated at the feet of giraffes.
But by the '90s, there were only 2,354 black rhinos left to survive, and many young lions didn't even know they had such a humble neighbor.
In Africa, rhinos were transported by train or large wagons with bullet holes in their heads. It turns out that this is not a premium option.
Poachers will track the trail of cars on the grassland, or simply stay on the road and use binoculars to find the destination of the truck, which is like buying a house with an extra twenty yuan handling fee, which is not effective in preventing the killing.
Until ten years ago, it was discovered that helicopters could be used to hide rhinos without knowing it.
Helicopters can quickly and efficiently transfer rhinos to reach realms that humans have yet to set foot in. No matter how remote the mountainous area is, it is just a matter of the old driver's foot on the accelerator.
The speed of air transport also means fewer doses of anesthetics, and protective tissues no longer need to inject rhinos with huge amounts of drugs to get through the long and tortuous journey.
Many times, it only takes half an hour for a rhino to successfully arrive at its new home. Thanks to the blindfold, the rhino did not even know that he had been in the sky after getting off the plane.
The airlift of the upside-down rhinoceros is the result of careful research by scientists, and this position can be called the laurel of cattle body engineering.
This position allows the spine to stretch and open the airway. This is very important for rhinos that are confused by anesthesia darts.
And hanging rhinos upside down can also save a lot of time.
If using a stretcher, it takes at least thirty minutes to prepare, while if hanging upside down, it only takes up to five minutes. If the operator has previously raised pigs in South Africa or has experience in rope playing, it can be even faster.
Shorter time means less expense, as a helicopter can cost $4,000 an hour.
"To be honest, it's really unsightly, but it's really useful," the conservation officer said.
"We can fly a rhino in minutes, and poachers simply can't keep up with us. Unless they spend a lot of money to drag a second-hand air defense radar from the Middle East. ”
Another role of airlifting rhinos is to ensure a diverse gene pool of rhinos.
Because of the decline in numbers, it is highly likely that a male rhino will be forced to mate with inbreeders in a certain area.
Dad's father is an uncle, and his son's daughter is a sister - this chaos can greatly affect the genes of rhinos.
Taking advantage of the rhino's inattention, it is suddenly thrown on the grassland 100 kilometers away from its original habitat, although it will be temporarily lost because it is in an unfamiliar environment, but soon after, because of the young opposite sex attracted by the sound, it will completely discourage the rhino from returning to its hometown.
"They seem to have fun, after all, not every creature in Africa can enjoy the treatment of flying in the air."
"Before taking off, I will comfort it, I will say that you don't worry about the bumps in the flight, you are like being kicked by an elephant, it doesn't hurt at all."
Dr Flaken, Africa's wildlife conservation expert, said: "The most beautiful image I've ever seen in Africa is a three-year-old male rhinoceros, swaying in the setting sun to a world without gunfire. ”