WikipediaIn an effort to save rhinos from relentless poaching and eventual extinction there is a radical new plan underway to save them.
Despite attempts by conservationists and anti-poaching rangers to stop illegal wildlife trading in South Africa, the numbers of rhinos killed each year is at an all-time high, reports Konbini.
Enter wildlife expert Ray Dearlove, the founder of the Australian Rhino Project, an organisation trying ensure the survival of the species.
Their radical plan is to airlift 20 African rhinos per year for the next four years over 6,800 miles to the Monarto Zoo safari park in Australia.
These will act as an ‘insurance population’ to ensure their survival, and with rhino numbers decreasing at an alarming rate in South Africa, the move could prove essential.
YouTubeOver 5,000 rhinos have been killed in South Africa since 2010 and recent surveys show the kill rate of rhinos has now exceeded the birth rate for the first time ever.
If things continue at this rate, rhinos could well be extinct within the next ten years, according to Australian Rhino Project.
Rhinos are a focus for poachers as their horns are prized as traditional medicines in China and Vietnam, and the price of a single horn can fetch up to $80,000 (£55,000) per kilogram.
FlickrSurprisingly, this isn’t the first rhino airlift. Last year Rhinos Without Borders started moving 100 animals, and in 2013 the Wold Wildlife Fund moved rhinos as part of their Black Rhino Range Expansion Project.
Let’s hope they like their new home!
