Over break I received these photos of a rhino capture that I witnessed at Hluhluwe Game Park.  The photos were taken by a Dutch journalist, Walter Heijder, and with permission, I’ve posted them below.  The capture was part of the WWF/Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Black Rhino Range Expansion Project.  WWF/Ezemvelo are relocating some of the endangered animals in an effort to combine populations and encourage breeding.  The Gumbi community game reserve, Somkhanda, was identified as a relocation area.  I met a french film crew that was documenting the story at Somkhanda, and they invited me to join them at the capture.

You can see the tranquilizer in the rhino’s bum (bottom right).  They shot the rhino from a helicopter that was circling above. 

Sedated.

Hello.

The rope is tied around the rhino’s neck, and the animal is led into the crate using the rope as a guide.