Rhinos visit the future

30 September 2016 - 09:21 By GRAEME HOSKEN

Deep beneath the bustling streets of South Africa's busiest business hub, a creature lurks, protectively guarding its young. As commuters pour out from the Gautrain passing through the Sandton station, the three-ton creature, an endangered black rhino, snorts, stamping its feet as its infant sneaks up from behind.Some stop and point their cellphones in their direction. Audible gasps are heard as slowly, one by one, people inch forward tentatively. Suddenly, children squeal in delight as the calf bounds towards them."Mamma it's real. Look it's a real rhino," screams a little girl.But the rhinos are not real. They are augmented reality and can only be seen with an app.Launched by Sony Pictures TV, who partnered with the rhino advocacy group Rage, the smartphone app aims to highlight the plight of endangered animals and to show that, without intervention, augmented reality may be the only way people will be able to see these species if they go extinct.Gautrain spokesman Barbara Jensen said the Gautrain was the ideal platform for the roll-out of such an app."With Cites here it's perfect. The message through augmented reality is that these animals, like all endangered animals, have to be protected, otherwise this will be the only way that the world will be able to view them - through virtual reality."She said the plan in the near future would be to roll out augmented reality versions of other endangered animals, like lions, at other Gautrain stations.Coenie de Villiers, of CDV Market Ideation, which helped create the app, said: "This app is about bringing the rhinos to people. It's about making the issue real."People can "interact" with the rhinos by walking with them or petting themJeremy Briar of Total Exposure which represents Sony Pictures, said: "The reality is that if the situation doesn't change, virtual reality will become the only reality children have when it comes to endangered animals."People can download the app at special billboards near the entrance of the station...

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