Firefighters answered an emergency at a zoo when a RHINO was struck down with toothache.
Two-tonne Bertus, a greater one-horned Indian rhino, had to be moved into position so a dentist could operate after he was sedated.
A crew used winches and pullies normally deployed to move heavy vehicles in road accidents to gently ease him into place.
The procedure was successfully carried out and eight year-old Bertus is back enjoying his favourite food at Edinburgh Zoo.
Local fire chief Willie Pollard said: “The request to support the zoo in the moving of their rhinoceros is one of the strangest special services I have undertaken.
“The task of safely moving an animal of this size clearly presents a number of challenges.
“But, by jointly working with zoo staff, we were able to formulate a plan which involved winching and pulling equipment using techniques normally used for either road traffic collisions involving heavy vehicles or in the event of a building collapse.
“These techniques allowed us to reposition the animal thereby creating a safe working space for the dental team to repair the tooth.”
Zoo head vet Simon Girling said: “We are incredibly grateful for the help of the fire and rescue crew.
“Bertus’s operation was a great success and even though it was a minor tooth operation, it involved a massive team of people all working together to ensure the operation went smoothly.”