eagerly. He couldn’t wait to be part of what was about to happen. Aesha, less certain, nodded too.
Binti took them to sit inside the truck, while Peter stood beside it and set up his filming equipment and camera. Jack climbed into the back of the truck and started making notes.
‘I’ll get a chance to take some photos as well, won’t I, Mum?’ Joe asked, suddenly anxious that he wouldn’t be able to make the most of the opportunity.
‘I’m sure you will,’ Binti reassured him. ‘Just wait and see.’
Joe peered through the windscreen of the truck as two of the men fixed a ramp to the back of the lorry, the clang of metal against metal a violent intrusion of the peaceful natural surroundings. There was a loud bang from inside the crate.
‘Harriet’s making her feelings known,’ said Joe.
‘She sounds hopping mad, and I don’t blame her.’ Aesha pouted.
‘But in a few minutes, she’ll be as free as a bird,’ said Binti.
The two men carefully unlatched the crate as two others joined them. One shouted a signal to the rest, and together they pulled at the heavy doors until they were wide open. The men ran for cover.
Everyone watched with bated breath. Joe fully expected the rhino to come charging out and disappear into the distance, never to be seen again. Instead, nothing happened for what seemed like minutes on end.
Then, little by little, Harriet’s head appeared.
‘Here she comes!’ Joe could scarcely contain his excitement.
The rhino stepped cautiously on to the ramp and stood as though waiting for instructions. Just then, Joe spotted Rajesh holding up a rifle and aiming it towards Harriet.
‘What’s he doing?’ Joe cried.
‘He’s going to fire a tranquilliser dart to stop her running off,’ Binti explained.
‘But isn’t that what they want her to do?’ asked Aesha.
‘They need to make sure she’s calm and that she goes in the right direction,’ said Binti.
Harriet began to move forward, crashing her feet on the metal ramp, as though beating out a warning. Rajesh opened fire and buried a dart in the animal’s rump. The rhino continued forward. Her front feet left the ramp and found the softness of grass. In another couple of steps, she had cleared the ramp completely. She began to sway, her huge body rocking precariously. The men ran out from behind the lorry, surrounded her and carefully lowered her to the ground.
Chapter 14
The moment Rajesh signalled that it was safe, everyone sprang into action. Two men closed the crate and drove the lorry behind a patch of dense vegetation so that it was scarcely visible. Another man followed with the truck. Peter picked up his photographic equipment and moved closer to the sedated rhino.
Rajesh crouched down beside her and beckoned to Joe and Aesha.
‘Come,’ he said. ‘Let me introduce you to Harriet.’
Aesha, Joe and Binti jumped down from the truck. They hurried over to the rhino and knelt next to her.
‘Wow!’ said Joe. ‘She’s amazing!’
Jack knelt down with them, while Rajesh monitored her heartbeat and then allowed Binti to check it as well.
‘She’s the most incredible creature, isn’t she?’ Jack said. ‘She certainly wouldn’t have looked out of place at the time of the dinosaurs.’
‘She’s extraordinary,’ said Binti.
Joe studied her wrinkled browny-grey hide, her fat stumpy legs and short tail. Rajesh pointed to a patch of skin that was mottled and bumpy.
‘This is caused by parasites like ticks,’ he explained. ‘Oxpecker birds do a great job of cleaning them off, but it’s a never-ending battle.’
Aesha could hardly bring herself to watch, but Joe stared intently as Rajesh pinched out several ticks and scrubbed the mottled skin with a stiff brush.
‘We want Harriet to look her best, don’t we?’ Rajesh grinned.
Joe picked up his camera and took several photographs of her.
And I thought I wouldn’t be taking close-up shots of a rhino!
‘We haven’t got long now,’ said
Binti took them to sit inside the truck, while Peter stood beside it and set up his filming equipment and camera. Jack climbed into the back of the truck and started making notes.
‘I’ll get a chance to take some photos as well, won’t I, Mum?’ Joe asked, suddenly anxious that he wouldn’t be able to make the most of the opportunity.
‘I’m sure you will,’ Binti reassured him. ‘Just wait and see.’
Joe peered through the windscreen of the truck as two of the men fixed a ramp to the back of the lorry, the clang of metal against metal a violent intrusion of the peaceful natural surroundings. There was a loud bang from inside the crate.
‘Harriet’s making her feelings known,’ said Joe.
‘She sounds hopping mad, and I don’t blame her.’ Aesha pouted.
‘But in a few minutes, she’ll be as free as a bird,’ said Binti.
The two men carefully unlatched the crate as two others joined them. One shouted a signal to the rest, and together they pulled at the heavy doors until they were wide open. The men ran for cover.
Everyone watched with bated breath. Joe fully expected the rhino to come charging out and disappear into the distance, never to be seen again. Instead, nothing happened for what seemed like minutes on end.
Then, little by little, Harriet’s head appeared.
‘Here she comes!’ Joe could scarcely contain his excitement.
The rhino stepped cautiously on to the ramp and stood as though waiting for instructions. Just then, Joe spotted Rajesh holding up a rifle and aiming it towards Harriet.
‘What’s he doing?’ Joe cried.
‘He’s going to fire a tranquilliser dart to stop her running off,’ Binti explained.
‘But isn’t that what they want her to do?’ asked Aesha.
‘They need to make sure she’s calm and that she goes in the right direction,’ said Binti.
Harriet began to move forward, crashing her feet on the metal ramp, as though beating out a warning. Rajesh opened fire and buried a dart in the animal’s rump. The rhino continued forward. Her front feet left the ramp and found the softness of grass. In another couple of steps, she had cleared the ramp completely. She began to sway, her huge body rocking precariously. The men ran out from behind the lorry, surrounded her and carefully lowered her to the ground.
Chapter 14
The moment Rajesh signalled that it was safe, everyone sprang into action. Two men closed the crate and drove the lorry behind a patch of dense vegetation so that it was scarcely visible. Another man followed with the truck. Peter picked up his photographic equipment and moved closer to the sedated rhino.
Rajesh crouched down beside her and beckoned to Joe and Aesha.
‘Come,’ he said. ‘Let me introduce you to Harriet.’
Aesha, Joe and Binti jumped down from the truck. They hurried over to the rhino and knelt next to her.
‘Wow!’ said Joe. ‘She’s amazing!’
Jack knelt down with them, while Rajesh monitored her heartbeat and then allowed Binti to check it as well.
‘She’s the most incredible creature, isn’t she?’ Jack said. ‘She certainly wouldn’t have looked out of place at the time of the dinosaurs.’
‘She’s extraordinary,’ said Binti.
Joe studied her wrinkled browny-grey hide, her fat stumpy legs and short tail. Rajesh pointed to a patch of skin that was mottled and bumpy.
‘This is caused by parasites like ticks,’ he explained. ‘Oxpecker birds do a great job of cleaning them off, but it’s a never-ending battle.’
Aesha could hardly bring herself to watch, but Joe stared intently as Rajesh pinched out several ticks and scrubbed the mottled skin with a stiff brush.
‘We want Harriet to look her best, don’t we?’ Rajesh grinned.
Joe picked up his camera and took several photographs of her.
And I thought I wouldn’t be taking close-up shots of a rhino!
‘We haven’t got long now,’ said
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