Rhinos are under attack in the world today, and not just by who you might think. Now, in a report with deadly serious yet nonetheless somewhat humorous overtones, scientists from Germany have developed a special tool to artificially inseminate highly endangered rhinos. The device is made of flexible carbon fibres and has a tilted tip to match the special anatomy of large mammals. So far, no African rhinos have ever been artificially inseminated in captivity, although some zoos have had considerable success with the old-fashioned method. Veterinary medical expert Thomas Hildebrandt says he is confident his team will be successful “in the near future”. Some 15 zoos in Europe and northern America are cooperating with the Berlin team. In one of their attempts, a female rhino was impregnated, but the pregnancy didn’t last. Hildebrandt says the German tool has proved uniquely successful. “Nobody else ever got this far and actually carried out any insemination attempts,” he said. Understandable.