RHINO MICROCHIPPING

Summer 2020 | Dates TBD

BE A FIRST-HAND PART OF THE FIGHT AGAINST BLACK-RHINO POACHING

The plight of the black rhino in Africa is something that has gained world-media coverage. Poachers continue to wreak havoc on these magnificent creatures for their horns, for nothing more than to be sold on the black market worldwide. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent annually trying to provide monitoring and protection for these creatures, but the goal cannot be reached without the collection of vital data. That’s where this project comes in. One of the most important tools in rhino protection and conservation is to create a visible identification mark on various animals that monitors can reference when they encounter animals in the field. There is a simple ear-notching protocol that corresponds with numbers to help keep rhinos identifi ed. At the same time, a microchip will be placed under the skin to identify the animal in the event a carcass is discovered.

The rhinos that need notching are located by a combination of trackers and light aircraft. As soon as a clean rhino is located, the vet team goes up in a helicopter and the animal is darted. Once the dart is in, it takes about 7 minutes for the animal to become sedated. During this time, the ground team gets as close as they can, and as soon as the animal is down, you join alongside them and take action. Everyone has a job at this point – some hold oxygen in the rhinos nose, some wet the animal with a backpack spray to keep it cool, and the vets themselves cut the notches and insert the microchip. Other members of the team will take measurements along with blood and biopsy samples. The whole process takes about 20 minutes. The drugs are then reversed and the rhino released safely back into the wild. This is a chance to see, feel, and experience these magnificent rhinos in the most personal way possible, all while doing work crucial to their survival.

***Due to the extreme importance of these black rhinos, the location will be given to those who call about this experience. This sort of precaution must be taken in order to maintain the secrecy of the project’s location and its details.