Rhino With Toothache Transported to Surgery, Thanks to Local Firefighters

Firefighters are often called in to assist in moving large objects, but transporting a greater one-horned Indian rhino suffering from a toothache was anything but expected. 

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Earlier this month, firefighters were called to the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland to help assist in Bertus the rhino’s dental procedure.

In a statement, Firefighter Willie Pollard called the feat “one of the strangest special services [he has] ever undertaken."

Although the head veterinarian at the Edinburgh Zoo said the operation was minor, they needed firefighters to help make sure he was safely in place for the procedure.

Firefighters were able to move the 8-year-old rhinoceros using skills they adapted from moving heavy vehicles during traffic collisions, or securing the scene after a building collapse.

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“Bertus’s operation was a great success,” the head veterinarian said in the statement.

And, thanks to the hard work of the firefighters, Bertus is back at the zoo, enjoying all of his favorite foods.

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