Skip to main content

Digger rescue

Staff at a game reserve in South Africa responded in a rather unconventional manner when they spotted a black rhino in distress. The animal had wandered into a dried up watering hole, but then proved unable to extricate itself from the deep mud. The team from the game reserve brought in a backhoe loader to help the animal. The machine was used to dig a way through the soft ground to the rhino, which was then able to scramble free, although it did try to headbutt the digger bucket when it came close. Other o
March 23, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Staff at a game reserve in South Africa responded in a rather unconventional manner when they spotted a black rhino in distress. The animal had wandered into a dried up watering hole, but then proved unable to extricate itself from the deep mud. The team from the game reserve brought in a backhoe loader to help the animal. The machine was used to dig a way through the soft ground to the rhino, which was then able to scramble free, although it did try to headbutt the digger bucket when it came close. Other options such as attempting to drag the animal free using a rope and tranquilising it with a dart gun had been considered but quickly discounted as being impractical. It was not available for comment afterwards.

Related Content

  • WASH AND GO
    February 9, 2018
    Our Skidmarks page is highly rated by readers. Your input could help make this page even more entertaining. If you come across any amusing road-related stories or pictures email me at [email protected]
  • Storage Facility
    May 22, 2018
    Many UK drivers use their vehicles to store highly unlikely items according to a study. Amongst the more peculiar items kept in cars by their owners are mannequins, a bale of hay, 52 pies, a Ouija board, a false leg, 160 hats, 24 rolling pins, a wicker reindeer, two single mattresses, a hamster cage, parts of a railway engine and a urine container. The study also found that 25% of drivers are ashamed of how dirty their vehicles are with a further 5% admitting to never cleaning their vehicles. The study was
  • Ground penetrating radar used to investigate tunnel deterioration
    May 13, 2015
    Using ground penetrating radar to determine reason for serious pavement settling in Kentucky-Tennessee tunnel Just a few years after the opening of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel, highway officials noticed moderate to severe settling of the continuously reinforced concrete pavement. The mountain tunnel provides an important link between Kentucky and Tennessee along US25E and the problem looked serious, with many voids discovered beneath the pavement surface. To investigate the problems, the Kentucky Transpor
  • Tampere road tunnel - a strategic link for central Finland
    April 4, 2016
    Progress has been good for an important underground road link in Finland reports Adrian Greeman. Assuming all goes well, the new Ranta, or Lakeside, tunnel in Tampere will open in full six months early; traffic could be running by the end of this year. Work on transforming the rundown city centre with new developments will get a major boost. It is a major achievement on a four-year-long project bringing significant benefits to one of Finland's largest cities. From the government's point of view the scheme w