13/02/2012 / JAPAN
Papier maché rhino ‘escapes’ from zoo in surreal drill
Zookeepers in earthquake-prone Japan have to be ready to catch the wild animals should they ever escape from their cages. And what better way to prepare than with a drill?
Ueno Zoo in Tokyo decided to make the exercise as close to reality as possible by using a life-size, papier maché rhinoceros. While the fake animal is far from scary – in the video below, two men’s feet can be seen poking out from the bottom as it slowly lumbers around – the zoo’s employees take it very seriously, surrounding the rhinoceros with netting before “shooting” it with a tranquilizer dart.
In the past, zoo employees dressed up in furry animal costumes, but this wasn’t deemed realistic enough by the zoo’s management, as it drew crowds of laughing visitors. Judging by the giggling in this video, papier maché hasn’t quite solved the problem.
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Rhino in Japan
Submitted by Frederick Robinson (not verified) on Wed, 15/02/2012 - 13:06.You could combine Ionesco's 'Rhinoceros' and a pantomime, exchanging the customary panto-horse with the rhino!