LandRoving 129

Left The mesmerizing sight of
3 rhino with a golden sky as a
backdrop

Below Being a solo trip, taking
pictures of my Td5 en route was a
little challenging. I had hoped that
the splash factor of this particular
puddle would be worth “installing”
my cell phone up in a tree using a
cable tie and videoing the drive-
through. Unfortunately, this setup
was insufficient to record the
moment in high definition.

spectacular expedition. With the day
becoming heavy with darkness, it
was time for me to get back to camp,
get a cook on the go and enjoy the
sanctuary of the wild.

The following morning
was burdened with the solo collapse
of camp. Given how quickly I had
managed to get camp up the day
before, I was confident that it would
be down in two shakes of a duck’s
tail. It wasn’t… in fact, nowhere near,
but eventually and after several
rants, huffs and shaking fists, my
Landy was packed, and we were
on the road again, heading with
enthusiasm to a location which
cannot be disclosed, to participate in
an activity that, at the time of driving,
I had not been able to share with
anyone else due to the very strict
secrecy requirement of the project.
As you might understand, I am not
at liberty to mention the location of
my destination, save to say that that
it is well within the protected wildlife
areas of Botswana.

Before departing I had wander around, contemplating life, plane… late. In fact, the release
been made very aware that due to the universe and why Land Rovers of the first four of the eight
the sensitivity and militaristic nature seem intent on developing oil leaks. rhinos destined for release would
of the initiative, project timelines And then the call! The South African eventually be completed at night,
were only loosely defined. I was rhinos would be boarded onto a with the Hercules landing forty-
told when to arrive and given an Botswana Defence Force Hercules five minutes before sundown. The
approximate date by when it was for emigration to Botswana at first pace was relentless. I was part
considered likely that the project light. These fortunate rhinos were of the grunt force that was there
would be completed. As it would about to take flight and given a to do the less than specialized
turn out, loosely meant exactly that chance at life. activities allowing the professionals,
and there was plenty of time to the vets, the photographers, the
We arrived early, the
50 LANDROVING September 2019

Left The Botswana Defence Force videographers, the senior Military mammoth expense incurred to get
Hercules, inbound from South Personnel and the Botswana it there. And then we all go to the
Africa touches down in a cloud of Department of Wildlife Officials pub, pat ourselves on the back and
dust just before dusk to orchestrate the critical tasks. congratulate one another on being
Those who know me know that I Masters of the Universe. Yip, that’s
Below The second release would strongly object to being considered certainly what I thought too.
run according to schedule, but labour and I most certainly cannot
this brought with it a new set of be considered muscle, but in As it turns out, rhinos –
challenges for the team this instance, just being part of even sedated ones – don’t think
this operation, compensated any flying is a grand exploration of the
Below left At all times, an armed bruising to my ego more than skies above and even though you
perimeter around the operational adequately and I gave every bit would guess that they would be
area was maintained by Botswana of available energy to make sure sick and tired of being trapped in a
Defence Force soldiers that I was very much a part of the metal crate, once it’s open they are
experience. not really inclined to get out… until
Below far left A flurry of activity as they are out… at which time they
crates are unloaded with a keen eye Conceptually, releasing want to bolt forward and disappear
on the setting sun. The Hercules rhinos back into the wild is a piece of into the wilderness. Also, in case
had to take off before sunset cake. A five-minute thing. You know, you were wondering, they weigh in
something that some Hollywood at some serious kilo’s, a fact that we
star could do single-handedly whilst would be dealing with just two days
at the same time eradicating world later. And then there are the critical
hunger and averting the destruction scientific and tracking processes that
of the universe! It’s so simple... go along with the release. Mounds
You open the doors to the plane, of documentation, measurements,
slap the rhino on the ass and it readings and equipment all of which
charges out into its new world, full of makes the Customs and Emigration
undying gratitude and appreciation between South Africa and Botswana
for the dedication, long hours and seem quite insignificant in

CONSERVE

comparison. a time-critical path to coax it out of time for the next, then the next and
Sedation is kept to an the crate and onto its designated finally the last. With each release, the
sleeping spot, like tug boats pulling team became better acquainted with
absolute minimum under the ever- and pushing an oil tanker into a the needs of the process, but that
watchful eye of the principle vet. dry dock. As one might imagine, didn’t make it much easier than the
The rhinos are only partially sedated a blindfolded rhino that’s been first. Working with the independent
during capture and loading because administered with a drug which is personality of a wild animal is
they have to remain standing for making it feel very sleepy certainly inimitable and just when you think
the flight, like people crammed into doesn’t want to move forward and you have the process waxed, there is
the London tubes at rush hour. it takes every effort from a lot of something new to overcome.
Therefore, most of the scientific and people to convince it to take those
record-keeping processes are carried first few steps and then, just when it And then came the time
out on release when full sedation has decided that forward is the way, when the four sleeping rhinos lying
is a requirement to ensure that the you have to reverse action, apply around in the bush had to be woken
rhinos are released together and to the brakes, and convince it that lying up. Trucks that had been used to
avoid danger to those of us there to down is now what is best. carry the laden crates were pulled in
help. so that the helpers could climb on
It was on this first release board and become part of the final
The vet administers the that I, for the first time in my life, release stage from a safe vantage.
dosage for full sedation shortly touched a rhino as we pushed on his With the bare minimum of people
before a team of experts readies the rump to keep him moving forward on the ground to assist him, the vet
rhino for removal from the crate. and then pushed on his side again administered the antiserum which
This includes placing a blindfold and again in an attempt to persuade would see these majestic animals
over its eyes to ensure it doesn’t him to lie down. He really didn’t like awaken in their new safe haven,
surge forward to freedom with us in the idea of lying down and when their new home, a place where they
the way and placing a rope around several tons of sleepy mass decides would be actively protected, a place
its neck so that we can guide this to get up, it takes several hands, where they could thrive.
ginormous creature into a spot knees, heels and elbows to convince
designated by the vet. it to stay down. It was as we stood there
upon those trucks, listening in utter
Full sedation works fairly But, several of all the above silence to the breathing and grunting
quickly, and as the rhino can’t lie were indeed available and after the of these four regal creatures waking
down in the crate, once the sedation first fell into a deep slumber, it was from a deep slumber that the
has been administered, you are on

Above Up close up and personal blistering day releasing the last four. Most aspects of the second
with a slumbering rhino One advantage of release were the equivalent of the
first, except of course that we were
Left A sedated rhino is a challenge working in the day is that the now working in broad daylight with
to move in a direction and requires photographs you take are quite the African sun relentlessly beating
significant effort and teamwork simply… better. Yes, the harshness down on all. This meant that there
of the light might cause strong was also an additional requirement
magnitude of the experience and the shadows and distracting contrast, to consistently sprinkle water on
profoundness of our actions became but at least there is sufficient the sleeping giants to ensure a
increasingly evident to me. A truly time to have decent exposure at degree of relief was offered from
spectacular moment in my life. suitable aperture, ISO and shutter the intense heat. Added to this were
speed values. In this action-filled some unique challenges that tiptoed
It would be another two environment, a tripod gets in the silently into the operation, before
days before we would again get the way of the hustle and bustle of boldly revealing themselves with an
call to make ready. I had not actually activities in and around the release unexpected bang.
been convinced that I would be site, which means that the resulting
part of the second release but was pictures taken in the low light One such challenge was
certainly not complaining when I conditions of the night are usually essentially the direct result of the
got the call. This time, with the legal just a blur. release occurring at the correct
complications in South Africa already time of the day. You see, with the
resolved for all eight rhinos, the There were also additional previous release the unintentional
Hercules would be leaving on time resources on hand which would focus was offloading the crated
and we would be working through a allow for more opportunities behind rhinos from the Hercules within a
the lens, provided of course that shortened timeline so that the plane
Land Rover Owners Club of Southern Africa you kept out of the way of the could still safely take off and return
professional photographers and to base. Now that we were operating
videographers who were there in broad daylight, take-off was no
specifically to capture the brilliance longer an issue but the sun and the
of this magnificent project in high resultant temperature it was causing
definition for National Geographic most certainly was.
and the likes.
LANDROVING 53

Above Slumbering giants which will soon be waking up in their new home

As any person who effort was the result of momentum able to roll the crates back into
has been stuck on a plane on a overcoming friction. It wasn’t until the plane, we had managed to
runway can attest, once you are the pilot scrambled into the cargo ensure that they would no longer
disconnected from the terminal area demanding that we stop roll forward. This allowed for time
and the engines are off, the air- immediately and pull the crates to think and formulate a creative
conditioning no longer exists, and back that we realized there was plan involving some very serious
you bake inside the steel tube like a problem. Continued pushing hydraulic jacks to become employed
a Sunday roast. This was most would have resulted in immense in the gentle return of the plane’s
certainly the case at the airstrip complications, as the crates would front wheel to mother earth.
which had been carved out of have continued to roll forward under
the thick Botswana bush and the pull of gravity, tilting the plane There were no other
the decision was taken to move into a stationary take off pose, like serious incidents for the day,
the rhinos towards the hydraulic a seesaw with a heavy-set individual but as mentioned, there were a
platform which opens at the rear occupying one side. lot of spectacular photographic
of the plane to load and unload the opportunities and most, me
cargo, where the crated animals Whilst this, I’m sure, would included, took a little time out to
would at least enjoy the coolness of have made for an unbelievable get these once-in-a-lifetime photos -
a bushveld breeze. photographic experience, it would including “cuddling” a sleeping rhino.
have added an enormous challenge And so it was that after two days of
After much huffing to an already challenging day. I can hard labour, I would be able to add
and puffing, we edged the crates with reasonable certainty say that I a rhino relocation release to my list
carefully towards the lowered doubt any harm would have come of adventures, a truly remarkable
hydraulic door, which was being to the rhinos, but I am not certain experience and one that I most
used as a drawbridge between the that our recovery efforts would have certainly will never forget.
plane and the waiting trailers onto been as kind to the plane. A quick
which the laden crates would be search on Google indicates that With the success of the
loaded. This resulted in a massive the current cost of an equivalent rhino relocation now behind me, it
shift of weight from above the Hercules is around 11 Million USD, was time for me to depart for Maun
plane’s centre of gravity to behind it so one can expect that any damage and then onto the second part of my
and as we moved further behind this would carry with it a hefty price tag adventure into Moremi. But that, as
conceptual point, so the front wheel for the repair. In fact, the more I they say, is a story for another time!
of the Hercules lifted ever higher off think about it the less I see just how
the ground. we would have pulled it all back
together.
It should have been more
evident to those of us pushing Fortunately, the quick
that something was amiss, but I actions of the pilot resulted in our
think like me, most had decided stopping the loaded crates on the
that the relative easing of required precipice and whilst we were not

54 LANDROVING September 2019

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Clint asks the question...

It can’t bec..a. n it?

No one can doubt that have to question. is an original photograph. You have
the digital world has brought about For those that might be a to see it to believe it!
with it a significant increase in
the amount of yellow journalism, little sceptical... turn the page and This type of image
popularly referred to as Fake News, see for yourself. A tutorial by Arunz manipulation is necessary in the
and make no mistake, South Africa Creation details how to achieve the modern world because it generates
has experienced its fair share transformation from the first to the the imagery that we want to see.
of this deliberate distribution of second photograph in under thirty Just take a look at how many movies
disinformation. minutes. And that’s not the only are shot in front of a green or blue
one... screen and digitally enhanced so
In a world where a skilled that we get to consume the most
graphic artist or photographer I recently watched a unbelievable scenes. Yip, we have
can manipulate and recompose tutorial presented by Matt Musielak brought this on ourselves, but such
a photograph of a model, from in which he transfers a Chevy is life.
a “nothing special” photograph Camaro SS muscle car from an
in front of a brick wall,  to an “on industrial scene somewhere in Whilst scrolling through
location” cityscape photo shoot, Europe, to a scene that looks like my Instagram feed recently, I came
complete with moody lighting and it was shot in the US Mid-West, across the above photo… and I
urban atmosphere, one has to perfectly suited for the vehicle’s just had to find out more. It would
consider that it is not only what we character. He even colour-grades seem that sometime around 1962,
read, but also what we see that we over 30 workspace layers to make Vickers Armstrong dressed a Landy
sure that the final image looks like it up in a skirt and transformed it
Land Rover Owners Club of Southern Africa
LANDROVING 57

into a hovercraft… well almost. Actually, it Right top The original image of a
would seem that the wheels never really left model standing in front of a brick
the ground and were rather used to propel wall, which is used in a tutorial by
the vehicle, so it wasn’t a true hovercraft, Arunz Creation in which the model
rather it was a cushion craft. The air cushion is re-composed into a night-time
produced prevented the Landys wheels cityscape.
from sinking into the soft mud allowing it to
traverse some seriously sticky terrain. It was Right The final result of the tutorial
dubbed the Hover Rover... or at least that’s by Arunz Creation. From a brick wall
what I have been able to find out so far. to an on-location, moody, night-time
There is even a video, narrated in a formal cityscape.
British English accent. Very authentic!
Below The Hover Rover in action
Supposedly, Chris Hodge, a spraying crops with insecticide,
Southeast London businessman and one of the (supposed) applications
amateur historian unearthed this and many foreseen for the Hover Rover.
other wacky innovations and is having them
digitally scanned and archived.

And so, I find myself asking the
question, it can’t be… can it?

Can I really believe my eyes? What
do you think? Is this real? Do you know for
sure? I would love to hear your comments,
thoughts and, if you have any, facts on the
matter.

Email me at [email protected]. I
am looking forward to your replies!





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