How Does Dehorning Work? Part 2
The now sedated rhino is injected with an anesthetic by a second veterinarian. Sometimes the rhino is "out on his feet," and has to be pushed down by a group of people.
For this dehorning, in June 2016, the people and rhinos were surrounded by armed guards to protect them from a possible poacher attack.
How Does Dehorning Work? (Click any photo for details.)
From a helicopter, a veterinarian riding in a helicopter shoots the rhino with a tranquilizer dart.
The now sedated rhino is injected with an anesthetic by a second veterinarian.
The animal's eyes are covered with a cloth and ears plugged with cotton to protect them from the flying chips of horn as the horn is sawn off.
The cut edges are smoothed with a grinder. The removal is not painful, just as clipping your fingernails is not painful.
The finished product. Now the rhino has little value to the poachers (or killers and mutilators).
The rhino is injected with a drug that reverses the effect of the anesthetic. In a few minutes, the animal rises and walks away. The whole process takes about 10-15 minutes per rhino.