MBOMBELA – An avid animal lover was recently presented with the opportunity to save the life of a rhino, quite literally, when he performed CPR on one.
“In that moment all I could think of was saving that rhino. I couldn’t allow her to die on my watch,” said
Mr Chris De Bruno Austin, co-founder of the non-profit organisation, Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary and co-CEO of Kishugu Holdings (Pty) Ltd.
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De Bruno Austin became an overnight Internet sensation when the video of him performing CPR on a 410-kilogram animal went viral. “I reacted instinctively by initiating CPR to save her. I can’t put into words the relief I felt when she started breathing again.”
Watch video here : VIDEO: Orphaned white rhino receives CPR
Orphaned baby rhino, Meha, was brought to the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary shortly after her mother was killed by poachers in the Kruger National Park early last year. Meha was just eight months old when she first arrived at the sanctuary.
Due to the ongoing poaching crises in southern Africa, and a number of serious poaching threats received by Care for Wild, a managerial decision was made to again dehorn all the rhinos at the sanctuary.
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Dehorning is routinely performed on rhinos in captivity, in order to reduce the threat on their lives, and has proven over time to be an effective technique in the relentless fight against rhino poaching. During this specific exercise which occurred last month, Meha experienced an adverse reaction to the sedative used for the procedure. Thankfully, due to the continuous monitoring by members of the SANParks veterinary response team, they immediately identified when her breathing and pulse stopped.
This prompted De Bruno Austin to initiate the CPR procedure. He blew air into Meha’s nose, while several other team members engaged in chest compressions. He, along with the team of passionate SANParks veterinarians, refused to give up and after several painstaking minutes, Meha was successfully resuscitated and began to breathe on her own again.
“Due to the enormous size of this rhino, a combined effort was required,” he explained. “Rhinos are critically endangered and each rhino’s life is precious. I was willing to do everything in my power to save that little rhino’s life – even if it meant giving that animal my last breath.”
Meha has since made a full recovery, and is currently grazing in the fields with her fellow rhino orphans. Thanks to De Bruno Austin’s swift response, the world is still today one baby white rhino richer.
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