In a critical conservation effort, BAC Helicopters was called upon by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to provide aerial support for the relocation of black rhinos in South Africa. The parks’ rugged terrain posed a significant challenge, as darted rhinos were often found in areas inaccessible to ground transport.
BAC Helicopters deployed one of its AS 350 B3 helicopters to supplement the ground-based operations. Whenever a rhino was darted in a remote or hard-to-reach location, the BAC Helicopters crew was summoned to use the helicopter’s lifting capabilities to carefully transport the animal to a safe loading area where the trucks could easily access them.
“The terrain in the parks can be quite treacherous, making it difficult to reach the rhinos after they’ve been darted,” said Greg Strydom, pilot in command of the AS 350 B3 helicopter. “Our helicopter provided the perfect aerial solution, allowing us to lift and reposition the rhinos to a central area where they could be safely loaded onto the transport trucks.”
Over the course of five days, BAC Helicopters assisted in the relocation of 8 black rhinos. Each rhino was slung beneath the helicopter and transported to a designated loading area, where they were then loaded onto trucks and transported to bomas, where they will be monitored for approximately 6 weeks before being moved to their final destinations in other protected areas in Southern Africa.
BAC Helicopters was proud to be a part of this important conservation initiative and is grateful to have been able to contribute positively to the operation.
