A BATELEURS MISSION STORY

Westville, KZN, 23 July 2024 — An international research centre is funding a critical mission to extract oocytes (egg cells) from rhinos to aid in their conservation. The extracted oocytes need to be swiftly transported to a laboratory in Pretoria, making timely delivery essential. Traditional courier companies cannot provide the immediate, on-site transportation needed, especially from remote bush runways. The Bateleurs have stepped in to handle these missions, with the third week-long mission flown for this initiative being carried out in July, and the first two being completed at the end of 2023 and early 2024. The operation involves intricate planning, considering variable weather conditions and the unpredictable nature of the rhinos.

The primary goal of this research is to enhance the genetic diversity of the rhino population and to preserve eggs for future use, ensuring the species' survival even in dire circumstances.

Our Bateleurs General Manager, Steve McCurrach, shares his account of the first operation we assisted with in 2023.

The Bateleurs' briefing aimed to support conservationists with a nimble aviation solution. A veterinary team would extract fertile oocytes (eggs) from rhinos in-field. Since the oocytes are both time and temperature sensitive, the team would rush the "product" to a city veterinary laboratory for in vitro fertilization.

We had the A Team in attendance—not just the usual one veterinarian working on the animal, but four specialists in their respective fields. Seen here at the "non-working" end of the rhino, they constantly monitored vital signs like blood pressure, temperature, pulse, and breathing rate, with any fluctuations relayed to the working end.

Rhino being monitored throughout the procedure

I don't even want to describe the clearing of bodily tracts; all I can say is, “thank goodness the animal was anesthetized.” Then, a probe resembling a speargun was inserted, with some Bats pilots setting aside their flying gloves to get dirty and provide shade for the CAT scan equipment.

The team gathered around to view images of ovary follicles on the PC/scanner and then meticulously harvested as many oocytes (eggs) as possible.

Team viewing images of ovary follicles on the PCscanner

Their excitement upon extracting the oocytes was palpable and visible, as evidenced in this pic.

Team excitement upon extracting the oocytes was palpable and visible.

The contribution by Bateleurs pilots often extends beyond flying; in this instance, pilot Claude dug trenches to drain the many liters of excreted anal douche, while I performed the highly skilled tail wrap. Don’t laugh—this is important because the vet gets quite upset when slapped in the face by a feces-laden rhino tail while focused on their scope.

The work was not without its moments of excitement; while waiting for the cow to go down, her adolescent calf, who was at the boma fence, chased us a few times. We only had a 125cc Honda motorcycle for cover. Once inside the boma, with intense work happening, two fellow rhinos were curiously persistent. It took some sentry duty to keep them at bay and prevent them from surprising the working vets.

Adolescent calf was in attendance at the boma fence and did a few chases

After the harvest, the eggs/oocytes were placed in an environmentally controlled container. Thanks to Easy Cockpit navigation, we rushed the precious cargo to the destination airport, where it was handed over by The Bateleurs crew.

Bateleurs team on the way back to Pretoria with the precious cargo of oocytes

Oocytes handed over by The Bateleurs crew in Pretoria

At this stage, the work is very experimental. Nevertheless, if successful, this groundbreaking veterinary science will make world news. It doesn’t get better than this in the marriage of aviation and conservation, and The Bateleurs stand ready for all future missions.

For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

• Raewyn du Toit

• Development and Communications

• The Bateleurs

• M: 072 863 6916

• E: [email protected]

About The Bateleurs

The Bateleurs offers a free-of-charge aerial service to conservation organizations in need, granting them an aerial vantage point for assessing environmental concerns. This aims to enhance decision-making. By affording policymakers, conservationists, scientists, media, community leaders, and activists a high-up view of our region, The Bateleurs significantly contributes to safeguarding it.

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