Rhinos are estimated to be around 60 million years old, but with the rate of poaching currently at record levels, it is thought that they will be extinct within the decade. This is unacceptable and needs to be stopped – but it’s not easy catching the scumbags who murder these gentle giants for monetary gain – or even worse – for sport.
The problem is, that even though hundreds of rhinos are killed for their horns and their hides every year, it’s rare that a poacher is actually caught and brought to justice. Even though armed guards patrol thousands of square kilometres of land in Africa, it’s not easy to catch the culprits – and maybe give them a taste of their own medicine. Something needed to be done to take the fight against the poachers to the next level.
Recently, a team of British scientists might just have discovered a way to help significantly slow down the decline in rhino numbers, while catching the perpetrators red-handed. Dr Paul O’Donoghue has been working in rhino conservation for 15 years and he and his team have come up with an ingenious way to track rhinos and hopefully catch the poachers responsible for their murder.
The team have been humanly sedating rhinos, and then inserting a camera into their horns – which they assure is a painless procedure. Once this technology is up and running, they have the ability to see what the rhino sees, as well as monitor heart rate and other vital signs. Using a mix of existing and adapted security camera tech, they have been able to fit these devices to a significant number of rhinos – and hope that they will be able to assist them in their own hunt for the poachers.
You won’t believe the footage the team has captured as the rhino bounds through the brush, and you can actually hear the animal breathing! Dr Paul claims that the device will trigger an alarm should the animal be attacked, or downed in any way, and within moments, a security team and helicopter will be on the scene. There’s simply no way a poacher is going to be able to make the kill and escape – and if it works – we’re all for it!
Watch the amazing report below – particularly for the footage from the point of view of this incredible beast. Share this with your family and friends – because we should all be doing our bit to save the rhino!
