How Does Dehorning Work? Part 5
The finished product. Now the rhino has little value to the poachers. In two years or so, the horn will grow back and the rhino will have to be dehorned again.
The microchipped horns are taken to a secret off-site location to keep them away from poachers.
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.