See what it takes to hide a secret tracker in a rhino horn
In 2017 Pursuit Aviation took to the skies over Tanzania to record one of the most exciting conservation developments in recent memory.
In a joint operation among the Friedkin Conservation Fund, the Frankfurt Zoological Society, the Tanzanian National Parks and TAWA, a team of local and international veterinarians were able to place beacons in 23 rhinos in the Maswa Game Reserve and the Serengeti National Park, enabling these animals to be tracked and better protected.
Pursuit’s chronicle of the operation has now been accepted into National Geographic’s Short Film Showcase. The film collection features “work that affirms National Geographic's belief in the power of science, exploration and storytelling to change the world,” the organization says on their website.
Black rhinos are critically endangered and were brought to the brink of extinction during the late 20th century. Poachers continue to target the creatures to fuel the black market for rhinoceros horn, which is especially prized in parts of East Asia. However, thanks to anti-poaching and other conservation efforts the population has rebounded to between 5,000 and 5,500 across Africa, according to the World Wildlife Fund.