Rhino Rescue

As a rhinoceros lumbers across a field in South Africa, a helicopter suddenly appears. With the aircraft hovering overhead, the massive mammal breaks into a run—but it isn’t fast enough. A skilled shooter leans out of the helicopter and takes aim. With one shot, he knocks the 4,000-pound animal to the ground.

Illegal hunters kill a rhino every 8.5 hours in South Africa. But this rhino is one of the lucky ones. Groggy but unhurt, it has been hit by a tranquilizer dart and is now in the hands of a conservation group called Rhinos Without Borders.

A team of skilled vets, animal handlers, and armed guards will transport the animal to a secret location in South Africa. Then they’ll carefully fly the rhino to the neighboring country of Botswana and release it into the wild.

Botswana has one of the lowest rates of poaching in Africa. That’s why Rhinos Without Borders aims to finish moving 100 rhinos there by the end of this year. The project, which began in 2014, is one of the largest airlifts of rhinos in history. As of press time, the group had already moved 77 of the animals.

At a cost of about $45,000 per rhino, the move is expensive—and extreme. But experts say that if drastic measures aren’t taken, Africa’s rhinos could become extinct within 10 years.

In 2015 alone, poachers wiped out more than 1,300 rhinos across the continent, almost all in South Africa. Since 2008, poachers have killed about 6,100 rhinos in South Africa.

Poachers kill the animals for their horns, which can fetch tens of thousands of dollars per pound on the black market in Southeast Asia. Many people there mistakenly believe rhino horn has healing properties. In reality, the horns are made of keratin, the same material found in human fingernails, and have no known medicinal value.

As a rhinoceros lumbers across a field in South Africa, a helicopter suddenly appears. With the aircraft hovering overhead, the massive mammal breaks into a run. But it isn’t fast enough. A skilled shooter leans out of the helicopter and takes aim. With one shot, he knocks the 4,000-pound animal to the ground.

Illegal hunters kill a rhino every 8.5 hours in South Africa. But this rhino is one of the lucky ones. The rhino is dizzy but not hurt, because it has been hit by a tranquilizer dart. It is now in the hands of a conservation group called Rhinos Without Borders.

A team of skilled vets, animal handlers, and armed guards will transport the animal to a secret location in South Africa. Then they’ll carefully fly the rhino to the neighboring country of Botswana and release it into the wild.

Botswana has one of the lowest rates of poaching in Africa. That’s why Rhinos Without Borders aims to finish moving 100 rhinos there by the end of this year. The project began in 2014. It is one of the largest airlifts of rhinos in history. As of press time, the group had already moved 77 of the animals.

At a cost of about $45,000 per rhino, the move is expensive and extreme. But experts say that if drastic measures aren’t taken, Africa’s rhinos could become extinct within 10 years.

In 2015 alone, poachers wiped out more than 1,300 rhinos across the continent, almost all in South Africa. Since 2008, poachers have killed about 6,100 rhinos in South Africa. 

Poachers kill the animals for their horns. These can fetch tens of thousands of dollars per pound on the black market in Southeast Asia. Many people there mistakenly believe rhino horn has healing properties. In reality, the horns have no known medicinal value. They are made of keratin. That’s the same material found in human fingernails.

Dereck Joubert, a filmmaker and conservationist who runs Rhinos Without Borders with his wife, Beverly, says that extinction of the rhino would be a crippling blow to Africa’s ecosystem.

“Rhinos play a vitally important role in keeping the ecosystems in Africa alive,” he says. “Letting rhinos go is the start of a slippery slope of letting everything go.”

One million rhinos roamed Africa 150 years ago. Today, only about 5,000 black rhinos and 20,000 white rhinos remain there. (The three other rhino species live in Asia.)

Buying and selling rhino horns across country lines is illegal. But the practice persists on the black market because it’s so lucrative. One pound of rhino horn can fetch $30,000 to $50,000.

In South Africa, impoverished communities often help poachers in exchange for a cut of the profits. Some local people even track rhinos, then radio the animals’ locations to poachers.

Many poachers in South Africa come from the nearby nation of Mozambique, which is one of the poorest in the world. Mozambique also lacks strict penalties for poaching or for possessing rhino horn. Its hunters often cross undetected into South Africa’s Kruger National Park, kill rhinos and hack off their horns, then escape back across the border.

The poachers are highly skilled, says Beverly Joubert. They use tools such as drones and night vision equipment. Some line their escape routes with armed men to help them avoid capture. “They’re in and out very, very quickly,” she says.

Most poached rhino horn ends up in Vietnam, according to Traffic, a wildlife trade monitoring network. The Southeast Asian country’s economy has grown in recent years, and the upper class has money to spend. Wealthy Vietnamese often give rhino horn to business associates as a sign of respect and power.

Rhino horn has been used in traditional Asian medicine for thousands of years. Some people believe that consuming it can heal anything from a fever to liver disease. In Vietnam, the horns are rumored to have cured a local politician’s cancer. People desperate for the same result shell out thousands of dollars for even a tiny bit. Studies, however, have not shown rhino horn to have any medicinal value.   

Dereck Joubert, a filmmaker and conservationist, runs Rhinos Without Borders with his wife, Beverly. He says that extinction of the rhino would be a crippling blow to Africa’s ecosystem.

“Rhinos play a vitally important role in keeping the ecosystems in Africa alive,” he says. “Letting rhinos go is the start of a slippery slope of letting everything go.”

One million rhinos roamed Africa 150 years ago. Today, only about 5,000 black rhinos and 20,000 white rhinos remain there. The three other rhino species live in Asia.

Buying and selling rhino horns across country lines is illegal. But the practice persists on the black market because it’s so profitable. One pound of rhino horn can fetch $30,000 to $50,000. 

In South Africa, poor communities often help poachers in exchange for a cut of the profits. Some local people even track rhinos, then radio the animals’ locations to poachers.

Many poachers in South Africa come from the nearby nation of Mozambique. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. Mozambique also lacks strict penalties for poaching or for possessing rhino horn. Its hunters often cross undetected into South Africa’s Kruger National Park. There, they kill rhinos and hack off their horns, then escape back across the border.

The poachers are highly skilled, says Beverly Joubert. They use tools such as drones and night vision equipment. Some line their escape routes with armed men to help them avoid capture. “They’re in and out very, very quickly,” she says.

Most poached rhino horn ends up in Vietnam, according to Traffic, a wildlife trade monitoring network. The southeast Asian country’s economy has grown in recent years, and the upper class has money to spend. Wealthy Vietnamese often give rhino horn to business associates. They do this as a sign of respect and power. 

Rhino horn has been used in traditional Asian medicine for thousands of years. Some people believe that consuming it can heal anything from a fever to liver disease. In Vietnam, the horns are rumored to have cured a local politician’s cancer. People desperate for the same result shell out thousands of dollars for even a tiny bit. But studies have not shown rhino horn to have any medicinal value.  

If rhinos were to become extinct, the entire African continent—both people and wildlife—would be affected. Black rhinos eat tough bushes and plants, clearing paths for grazing animals. White rhinos munch on thick tall grass, turning dense fields into rolling grasslands.

“Without these big lawn mowers, everything stagnates,” Dereck Joubert says. “If you pluck one species out of the ecosystem, it starts to unravel.”

Rhinos are also vital to Africa’s economy. Millions of people visit the continent every year with the hope of seeing rhinos, elephants, and lions. Such tourism contributes $80 billion a year to Africa and is a critical source of jobs for people who live near these animals’ habitat.

“The communities that live around national parks thrive and benefit from the ecotourism dollars, and without that money, they would become poorer,” Dereck Joubert says. The poorer communities are, the more likely people there are to poach, making the situation even worse.

Conservationists say relocation projects such as Rhinos Without Borders will make it harder for poachers to reach rhinos.  

When Rhinos Without Borders began, Botswana had fewer than 100 rhinos. Today, thanks to the group’s efforts, there are about 170. Local officials hope to grow the population to 400.

The airlift operation is shrouded in secrecy to help keep poachers at bay. In the rhinos’ new homes, the animals are fitted with tracking devices, and armed guards protect them around the clock.  

Experts say Botswana is an ideal place to relocate rhinos. The nation’s successful anti-poaching efforts are supported by its military, which is well funded and well trained. The country allows the military to shoot poachers on the spot, a strong deterrent to illegal hunting.  

If rhinos were to become extinct, it would affect the entire African continent. That includes both people and wildlife. Black rhinos eat tough bushes and plants, clearing paths for grazing animals. White rhinos munch on thick tall grass, turning dense fields into rolling grasslands.

“Without these big lawn mowers, everything stagnates,” Dereck Joubert says. “If you pluck one species out of the ecosystem, it starts to unravel.”

Rhinos are also vital to Africa’s economy. Millions of people visit the continent every year with the hope of seeing rhinos, elephants, and lions. Such tourism contributes $80 billion a year to Africa. It’s a critical source of jobs for people who live near these animals’ habitat. 

“The communities that live around national parks thrive and benefit from the ecotourism dollars, and without that money, they would become poorer,” Dereck Joubert says. The poorer communities are, the more likely people there are to poach. This cycle makes the situation even worse.

Conservationists say relocation projects such as Rhinos Without Borders will make it harder for poachers to reach rhinos.

When Rhinos Without Borders began, Botswana had fewer than 100 rhinos. Today, thanks to the group’s efforts, there are about 170. Local officials hope to grow the population to 400. 

The airlift operation is carried out in secret to help keep poachers at bay. In the rhinos’ new homes, the animals are fitted with tracking devices. Armed guards protect them around the clock.

Experts say Botswana is an ideal place to relocate rhinos. The nation’s successful anti-poaching efforts are supported by its military, which is well funded and well trained. The country allows the military to shoot poachers on the spot. That’s a strong deterrent to illegal hunting.