Rhino Evacuation Is Often Done By Hanging Upside Down, Are You Sure It's Safe?

JAKARTA - The Black Rhino is one of the protected animals that is increasingly threatened with extinction, along with changes in nature and the significant increase in rhino horn hunting.

Moving rhinos is often a must for researchers and rhino conservationists, for the health and safety of the rhino itself. Sometimes, rhinos have to be moved from remote areas, difficult to access so that they can only be done via air evacuation.

Of course in the process the rhinos will be sedated to make it easier for them to fly them. However, the way the rhino is transported by hanging it upside down, the upper leg connected by a rope knot to the transport helicopter, raises questions about the safety and security of this process for the moved rhinos.

Although this hanging method has been practiced for ten years, there is still debate over the effects of the drug in which the rhino is transported by hanging upside down instead of lying on its side.

Apparently, this method is positive for the survival of the rhino. This is based on the conclusions of a recent study by a research team led by Cornell University and published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases.

This finding was made when the research team traveled to Waterburg National Park in Namibia, Africa. There, the team examined 12 rhinos.

"We found that tying the rhinos to their feet was safer than we thought," said Dr. Robin Radcliffe, senior lecturer in wildlife medicine and conservation and first author of the study, reported on Euronews.

While this finding may sound funny, it is 'vital information' for conservationists working to save these extinct creatures.

"To keep rhinos safe from poaching and to distribute individuals throughout their habitat so that their gene pool remains healthy, management teams often have to move rhinos to remote areas that are not accessible by road or car," the study said.

Despite the fact that sedatives are potent opioids, with side effects that can disrupt the health of rhinos and even lead to death, the researchers found that the risk was reduced when they were lifted from the air on their feet (hung upside down).

"Hanging a rhino upside down actually increases ventilation (albeit slightly) than a rhino lying on its side," added Radcliffe.

While this is good news for conservationists working with black rhinos on uneven terrain, a lot of research and information digging is still needed in this regard.

This was approved by the Director of the People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) based in the UK, Elisa Allen. According to him, this study reveals important information about the safe transport of rhinos for conservation purposes.

"But, of course, the results of this study must be used in conjunction with other efforts, which include habitat protection, stronger laws to prevent trophy hunting and hunting, and adequate law enforcement," he said.